Stop the lie: Kansas and Missouri Republicans still won’t say election wasn’t stolen

If House and Senate Republicans had a do-over, would they still be as willing to spread the lie that the election was stolen from President Donald Trump, or that the outcome of the election was even theoretically in doubt after Nov. 7?

If they’d known that this lie would succeed so well that it would lead to bloodshed, blame and loss of corporate support, would they have been any more courageous in stating what virtually all of them have known all along? That Joe Biden won a free and fair election, and that the result was not even particularly close?

They can’t go back, of course. But because the threat of more “Stop the Steal” violence from right-wing extremists is all too real, they have an obligation to minimize that threat, to the extent that they can, by spitting out these words: The election was not stolen.

They could and should, in other words, stop the lie. But even now, as members from both parties are being deluged with death threats, they aren’t doing that.

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley is outraged that he lost his book contract over his role in last Wednesday’s deadly assault on democracy, and neither he nor Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall can be happy that they’ve lost donors over their treachery.

Hallmark even asked Hawley and Marshall for its money back.

But Hawley hasn’t taken back his fist pump egging on rioters, and neither he nor Marshall has accepted any responsibility for voting as they did. Even after lives were lost, they objected, without any reason other than that some of their constituents believe the lies they’ve been told, to Biden’s Electoral College win.

“Trump won that election,” one of the Visigoths proclaimed from Vice President Mike Pence’s chair in the U.S. Senate, and it was with that guy that Hawley and Marshall aligned themselves.

Neither responded to messages asking if they intend to acknowledge at some point that the election was not, in fact, stolen. Neither did Republican Missouri Reps. Sam Graves and Vicky Hartzler, or GOP Kansas Reps. Tracey Mann and Jake LaTurner, all of whom also voted to object even after a noose was erected outside the U.S. Capitol by thugs chanting, “Hang Mike Pence!” Also after police officers were beaten and pushed down stairs and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s staff had to hide silently under a table for hours while marauders looted the office.

Jerry Moran: no ‘evidence sufficient’ to overturn

All of these Kansas and Missouri members have said they were appalled by the violence. But none has spoken out against anything that led to it, like Trump sending the mob off with instructions to “fight like hell.” Or against anything that followed it, like Trump telling those who’d shown up with pipe bombs and zip-tie handcuffs, “We love you. You’re very special.”

Kansas Rep. Ron Estes’ office answered by pointing us to his statement hating the violence. It also says, “Now that the full process has concluded, I congratulate President-elect Biden. I expect to see a smooth and peaceful transition of administrations, and I will continue advocating for voter integrity through debate, legislation, and litigation where it belongs.” He’s still trying to have it both ways, and that can only do further harm.

It’s as a result of their failure to say what’s true that some of those who continue to believe that their votes really were thrown in a ditch or diluted by dead people will also continue to believe that violence is justified.

“It might have been rigged, but you should remain calm anyway” is not going to work. And decrying the violence without owning up to the dishonesty is just more dishonesty.

This corner they’ve backed themselves into isn’t one they can talk their way out of with anything other than the truth. Even that might not prevent further loss of life after months of this mendacity, but it’s their duty to try.

In our corner of the republic, Republican Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran has come the closest to saying what must be said: Before last Wednesday’s vote on the results of the Electoral College, he said in a statement that “to vote to reject these state-certified electoral votes would be to act outside the bounds of the Constitution, which I will not do.”

“President Trump had every right under the Constitution to challenge the results of the election in the courts, and I publicly supported his right to do so given the allegations and reports of irregularities and fraud. But in every instance, the judgments were clear, and no judge or Supreme Court justice — including those appointed by President Trump — determined there was evidence sufficient to change the results of the election.”

Roy Blunt trying to have it both ways

With the FBI warning that armed protests are planned at every state Capitol in the country, it would have been more helpful if Moran had come out and said plainly that nothing came of those allegations because they were based on nothing. But those willing to connect the dots can see that he does not believe that there was a steal to stop.

Same with Republican Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt. To his (partial) credit, right after the rampage, Blunt did say that the president had been “reckless” and had contributed to the insurrection.

But he, too, is still trying to have it both ways. “My personal view,” Blunt said on “Face the Nation” on CBS on Sunday, “is the president touched the hot stove on Wednesday and is unlikely to touch it again.” That’s what Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins said after Trump was impeached the first time.

What else could go wrong? Plenty.

Asked whether he thinks Trump should be impeached again, Blunt said, “That’s not really the question. If there’s no additional ensuing event, my belief is there is no possibility of that.”

Only, as the conservative writer David French tweeted, “Every time Trump hasn’t been held accountable, he’s gotten worse. Every time.”

Those who still aren’t prepared to publicly admit the truth can’t pretend to be caught off guard when that does happen yet again. And if there is, God forbid, more violence, we hope those who wouldn’t do anything to deter it will keep their expressions of surprise and sympathy to themselves.

This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM.