BIG NEWS: July 26-30
By Greta Maggi
It’s July 30, and it’s Greta here with some Big News about young politicians who made the headlines this week!
Someone has a new way of interpreting the Jan. 6 insurrection.
On Tuesday, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) joined other Republican colleagues in blaming Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, for the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The same day, the House heard testimony from Capitol Police officers, the New York lawmaker attempted to shift the blame, claiming that Capitol security is the Speaker’s responsibility and that Pelosi knew what was going to happen since December 2020. It should go without saying that this claim is completely untrue and unproven, but as one of the top Republicans in the House, Elise is making sure her party (and Trump’s legacy specifically) is spoken for.
More here on Rep. Stefanik’s speech, here on the Trumpian language, and here about the Republican Party embracing nihilism as its creed.
Here are the questions Rep. Kinzinger wants to be answered.
In a guest essay for the New York Times, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R- IL) reiterates his expectations on the Jan. 6 commission (which he is part of, together with another Republican on the hook these days, Rep. Liz Cheney). He demands straight answers – which will pave the way for the truth – to some basic questions: “How did this happen? Why? Who spurred this effort? Was it organized? When did our government leaders know of the impending attacks and what were their responses? What level of preparation or warnings did our law enforcement have? Was there coordination between the rioters and any members of Congress, or with staff?”
Moreover, the Illinois Congressman keeps attesting that what is essential at this point is accountability to make sure that the horrifying episode never happens again. That includes considering the campaign of misinformation and disinformation at the origin of the attack, the continuous lies perpetuated by leaders of his party, and the impact these have had on the events in the election afterward. It’s not the first time, and surely not the last, that the Republican Congressman is vocal against his party’s members. Is this patriotism or betrayal?
You can find the full article here.
Not here to stay quiet.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) shared on Twitter the racist death threats that she received in the last months. “White supremacists wanted me dead before I came to Congress. And white supremacist threats on my life have only intensified as a Black woman speaking the truth in the halls of power.” Rep. Bush was the first-ever Black Congresswoman elected in her state, Missouri, and her identity has been a crucial part of her political life since that moment. Threats from white supremacists came straight away. A message she shared reads: “Tone it down, bitch. You’re going to get yourself murdered if you keep running off that big old gorilla mouth. You ever see what you look like when you are spewing that sh*t? You need to be put into a f*cking cage at the zoo. Instead of police reform, how about [n-word] reform. As they say in the country, ‘The only good [n-word] is a dead [n-word].” Another one reads: “You Mother is a whore and I see you are not nobody would want to bang your fat stinky ass so get cancer and die you c*nt and hopefully your kids will get cancer and die before you.”
These kinds of texts (and threats) are unfortunately common, but Rep. Cori Bush is not here to stay quiet. “You think I’m going to make it all the way to Congress and then be quiet when white supremacy comes and knocks at the door?”
Related: online abuse is extremely spread on social media, especially toward minorities. And we don’t just experience it in politics but in every sector.
Talk to you soon!
