This is the open letter I wrote to Republicans this time last year following the insurrection on January 6th. I stand by these words and find myself even more committed to defeating the party and its members who have done nothing to course correct after that tragic day.

Dear Republican Party members,

No, we will not be moving on.

We reject your attempts to change the subject and calls for “unity” because we see them for what they are: You’re desperately trying to escape accountability for the role you played in Trump’s Insurrection this past Wednesday.

As Thomas Paine said, “A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.” And until you take responsibility, we do not trust you to do the job you were elected to do.

Lest anyone think I am only talking to Republicans in Congress, I am not. I am also pointing my fingers at Republicans in state legislatures as well.

For 4+ years, you either actively pushed lies spewed by Trump and his allies, or stayed silent in the face of those lies, which perhaps you now realize allowed them to take root and spread.

Taking only the most recent lie as an example — Trump pushing the lie that he won the November election in a landslide — you all helped him push that lie, and that took root in tens of millions of Americans, and radicalized many of them as you personally bore witness to on Wednesday.

You did not push back on the lie.

You did not tell your voters the truth, which is that Joe Biden won decisively.

You refused to refer to Biden as President-Elect.

You insisted that Trump was right to contest the election in court after he’d lost dozens of lawsuits.

You signed on to the Texas lawsuit to the Supreme Court asking them to disregard the will of the voters in four states, which gave Trump’s supporters false hope.

You allowed millions of people believe that Congress could overturn the election on January 6.

You repeatedly used the word “fight” when speaking to Trump’s supporters about the election and I have no doubt that some of you knew full well that that word would spur violent action. Politicians, as a group, know better than most, the power of words.

All of these actions stoked up the rage in the people you were confronted with on Wednesday, and until you publicly acknowledge that your actions (and inactions) led to the insurrection, we will not move on.

I am incensed with those of you who continued with your plan to decertify electoral votes AFTER the insurrection. You are unfit to serve our great country and need to be expelled.

I am incensed with those of you who continue to use inflammatory language post-insurrection, because you clearly haven’t learned anything from this past week’s siege.

I am incensed with those of you have not said ONE WORD about the four people who died and the Capitol Police officer who appears to have been murdered as he did his duty to protect you.

I am incensed with those of you who are whining about social media because you don’t care that it was used to organize a coup in an attempt to bring down our government.

I am incensed that you are willing to sweep away the events on Wednesday even though the mob was clear in their intent to KILL YOUR VICE PRESIDENT.

So, no. We will not move on. We demand accountability. And that means you will own up to your role in radicalizing the people who sought to bring down our democracy on Wednesday. Do it now.

Originally published in January 2020

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Tags: Explainers, featured, insurrection, January 6th, open letter