Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) on Wednesday took aim at Republicans who opposed the formation of a Jan. 6 commission by accusing them of not “living in reality” after the deadly Capitol insurrection that former President Trump incited.
In a floor speech on Wednesday ahead of a vote deciding whether to form an independent commission to investigate the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, Ryan didn’t mince words when blasting Republicans who are opposed to the commission.
After thanking the handful of Republicans in support of the commission’s formation, Ryan loudly expressed his disbelief towards the majority of his colleagues on the other side of the aisle for their opposition to the commission.
“To the other 90% of our friends on the other side of the aisle — holy cow! Incoherence! No idea what you’re talking about!” Ryan said.
Ryan went on to blast House Republicans for their fixation on former secretary of state Hillary Clinton over the attacks in Benghazi, Libya in 2012.
“Benghazi! You guys chased the former secretary of state all over the country, spent millions of dollars,” Ryan said. “We have people scaling the Capitol, hitting the Capitol police with lead pipes across the head and we can’t get bipartisanship!”
Ryan argued that the Republicans who oppose the Jan. 6 commission are not “living in reality.”
“What else has to happen in this country? Cops! This is a slap in the face to every rank and file cop in the United States,” Ryan said. “If we’re going to take on China, if we’re going to rebuild the country, if we’re going to reverse climate change, we need two political parties in this country that are both living in reality and you ain’t one of ’em!”
The Jan. 6 commission bill passed in a 252-175 vote on Wednesday afternoon, with 35 House Republicans joining all of the Democrats.
Last week, Rep. John Katko (R-NY) and House Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS) reached a bipartisan deal on the Jan. 6 commission to investigate the Capitol insurrection and the events that led to it.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) expressed their opposition to the commission, siding with Republicans who have attempted to downplay and urge the public to move on from the election fraud falsehoods that Trump continues to espouse.
Watch Ryan’s remarks below:
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) to Republicans: "We need two political parties in this country that are both living in reality and you ain't one of them!" pic.twitter.com/6J1WvmxJ7c
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 19, 2021
