House Democrats demand accountability for Republican election lies

HARRISBURG, Jan. 13 – Citing the dangerous lies spread by some Republicans in the General Assembly regarding the 2020 election, House Democratic leaders today released the following statement demanding accountability and responsibility as the nation moves forward:

“What we saw last week was nothing short of an attempted coup, instigated not only by the president of the United States but by Republican enablers at all levels of government. Words matter, and the falsehoods, misrepresentations and seditious rantings we’ve heard from some Republican members of the General Assembly can’t go unchallenged. Our nation can’t heal without consequences for the first invasion of the United States Capitol since the War of 1812.

“Over the past few years and especially past few months, we’ve seen multiple attempts by Harrisburg Republicans to suppress the vote of Pennsylvanians. When they failed at that and received an election result they didn’t like, they made -- and lost -- a steady stream of court challenges. And finally, when they were out of options, some of our Republican colleagues chose to bus, among others, insurrectionists to the United States Capitol for a protest that resulted in a failed coup and the loss of six lives, including two Capitol police officers. This pattern of escalating disrespect for American democracy is unacceptable from any elected official, and we plan to examine these actions starting next week through hearings with our House Democratic Policy Committee.

“As we continue to live through a global pandemic that is killing hundreds of Pennsylvanians every day, far too many Republicans in Harrisburg are still enabling, facilitating and apologizing for a defeated president. It is past time to tell the truth about what happened, hold those accountable and get to the work of providing for Pennsylvanians during these difficult times. Disenfranchising voters and gerrymandering our courts will not feed one Pennsylvanian, vaccinate one Pennsylvanian or house one Pennsylvanian.

“Democracy is fragile, as we saw last week. To move forward as a nation and restore faith in government, those who had a hand in the failed coup must be held accountable. Our Democracy demands it.”