Former Republican strategist Steve Schmidt called out House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Wednesday for using "poisonous nonsense" to cover up the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Earlier this week, McCarthy expressed his opposition to a new commission to study Jan. 6. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that he also opposed the commission on Wednesday.
In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Schmidt explained that McCarthy had "mesmerized" the media by simply stating that he accepts that Joe Biden is the president of the United States.
"Since most of the assembled media reacted to this rhetorical slight of hand like defanged cobras mesmerized by the snake handlers flute, I think it deserves a bit unpacking," Schmidt wrote. "The question that matters is this. 'Do you recognize, acknowledge and assert without qualifications that Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump decisively in a free, fair and legitimate election?'"
"Of course, this is the question the leader of the House Autocrats is running from but there is no escape from it," he added.
According to Schmidt, questioning the election has become "the essential marker in American political life."
"It marks the boundary waters between reality and fantasy and the truth and the lie," he observed. "It marks the front lines in the battle ahead between American democracy and the autocratic cancer that blossomed From the poisonous Trump Presidency."
Schmidt concluded: "There is no higher strategic priority for Trump, McCarthy and McConnell than making the murderous insurrection disappear into the fog of a culture without memory. If that is allowed to happen, we will lose the country. The coverup of what happened on the 6th by Trump and his cabal of elected Autocrats guarantees more political violence, death, extremism and instability in the years ahead."
Read Schmidt's tweets below.
I hope the primer below is helpful in decoding the latest in poisonous nonsense from @GOPLeader Kevin McCarthy who now says he accepts that Joe Biden is the President of the United States. Since most of the assembled media reacted to this rhetorical slight of hand like defanged
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) May 19, 2021
Cobras mesmerized by the 🐍snake handlers flute I think it deserves a bit unpacking. 1. Joe Biden IS the POTUS. 2. Every American should share equally in the boredom and genuine disinterest around what @GOPLeader does or doesn’t accept. Who cares. There is no relevance.
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) May 19, 2021
3. The question that matters is this. “ Do you recognize, acknowledge and assert without qualifications that Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump decisively in a free, fair and legitimate election? Of course, this is the question the leader of the House Autocrats is running from but
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) May 19, 2021
there is no escape from it. It is the essential marker in American political life. It marks the boundary waters between reality and fantasy and the truth and the lie. It marks the front lines in the battle ahead between American democracy and the autocratic cancer that blossomed
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) May 19, 2021
From the poisonous Trump Presidency. The use of language matters and understanding the code words is more important than ever. There is no higher strategic priority for Trump, McCarthy and McConnell than making the murderous insurrection disappear into the fog of a culture
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) May 19, 2021
Without memory. If that is allowed to happen, we will lose the country. The coverup of what happened on the 6th by Trump and his cabal of elected Autocrats guarantees more political violence, death, extremism and instability in the years ahead.
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) May 19, 2021
