GOP Senators Bolstered Lie That Drove Capitol Riot

Philip Bump: “The House impeachment managers arguing for Trump to be convicted by the Senate are… framing that day as the culmination of months of incitement by the former president. Before the Nov. 3 election, Trump claimed that he could lose his reelection bid only if rampant fraud occurred; once he lost, that’s precisely what he alleged. Week after week, Trump elevated any random allegation of fraud in an effort to show that something suspect had occurred, to create a miasma of uncertainty aimed at rationalizing his effort to peel back Joe Biden’s win. It was successful: Most Republicans still falsely believe that the election was marred by fraud.”

“Trump had a lot of assistance in pushing that case, including from the conservative media and his campaign team. But he was also assisted by a large segment of the Republican Senate caucus, the group that is currently being asked to see his behavior after the election as part of an effort to overthrow the results of the presidential election.”

“Nearly half of the Republican caucus, in other words, is being asked to judge that the falsehood they helped propel was an instrumental part of an attempted insurrection against the U.S. government.”