McConnell Says Public ‘Needs To Know’ Jan. 6 Committee Findings After Opposing Its Creation

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 16: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has apparently had a change of heart about the Jan. 6 committee, saying Thursday that “the public needs to know” its findings on the “horrendous event.”  

“I think the fact-finding is interesting,” he added during an interview with Spectrum News that aired Thursday. “We’re all going to be watching it.”

McConnell’s newfound eagerness is a markedly different tone than he struck during the creation of the committee. Back in May, he said that an investigation under Democratic leadership would be “slanted and unbalanced.” His position turned some of his members — who had initially expressed support for the idea — against the creation of a commission.

In the same interview this week, he declined to give an “evaluation of the performance of the committee” when asked his thoughts on Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-WY) revelations this week about Mark Meadows’ role on Jan. 6 and in its build-up. Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) are the only Republicans on the panel.

This week has seen a flood of news out of the committee’s investigation, including a slate of text messages from Fox News hosts and Donald Trump Jr. to Meadows during the insurrection, pleading with him to get then-President Donald Trump to call off the mob. 

The committee also reportedly recently interviewed staffers of Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, who Trump pressured to “find” enough votes to flip the state’s election. Committee members on Thursday subpoenaed the creator of a PowerPoint that outlined ways for Republican members of Congress to overturn the election. 

Latest News
510
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Excuse me, Mr. Former and One Term President, I see a bus heading your way, and I think you under it will be a good place for you (I mean, for me).

    Mc Turtle - shiving Don Jon …

  2. Avatar for davex davex says:

    Is this McConnell’s attempt to stem the non-college educated takeover of the GOP by letting the Dems deal with the noisy, unqualifed people Trump promoted into McConnell’s closed system of governance?

  3. Guess the big orange swelling must have finally gone down in GOP internal polling.

  4. McConnell is doing some insider trading and getting out ahead of an upcoming news cycle. I wonder who’s feeding him info? Probably one of Cheney’s or Kinzinger’s aids who is hoping to move on up the ladder.

  5. Avatar for grack grack says:

    Not to mention a daily blood transfusion.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

504 more replies

Participants

Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for bobatkinson Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for squirreltown Avatar for becca656 Avatar for yskov Avatar for christianhankel Avatar for donnyyoung Avatar for fiftygigs Avatar for darrtown Avatar for pshah Avatar for thunderclapnewman Avatar for tena Avatar for tsp Avatar for known_thespian Avatar for edhedh Avatar for justruss Avatar for karlwlewis Avatar for occamscoin Avatar for txlawyer Avatar for philmore Avatar for dicktater Avatar for visionseeker Avatar for Pluckingenius

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: