WASHINGTON — Dozens of military veterans hand-delivered letters to top Republicans in the United States House of Representatives on Wednesday, asking them to publicly condemn political violence as the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol approaches. .
Former Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone wrote the letter, which was signed by more than 1,000 military veterans, active duty members, law enforcement officers and military families. Fanone, who was beaten and electrocuted during the attack on the Capitol, gave a copy to the office of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. While the Republican leadership remains shaky, the groups behind the effort view the Georgia representative as one of the de facto leaders of the new Republican majority in the House.
The veterans also sent letters to Republican Reps. James Comer of Kentucky, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Elise Stefanik of New York and Kevin McCarthy of California, who is trying to become House speaker.
Wednesday’s visit to the Capitol was organized by the groups Common Defense and Courage for America to call attention to violent rhetoric that they say continues to be a threat to American democracy. They want top Republicans in the House to not only condemn political violence, but to hold accountable those who spread hateful and violent messages.
The visits come at a tumultuous time on Capitol Hill. A core of conservative House Republicans has rejected McCarthy’s attempts to be named speaker in multiple ballots on Tuesday and Wednesday. The GOP’s failure to elect a new speaker has put House business on hold, including swearing in members and naming committee chairs.
In the letter, Fanone calls on House Republicans to issue a public statement condemning all forms of political violence and «pledging to hold members of your conference accountable for endorsing violence or adopting violent rhetoric toward those who disagree politically.» with them».
The letter points to several incidents of politically motivated violence, including the attack on an FBI office in Ohio following the FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property and the attack on the husband of the former House speaker. Representatives Nancy Pelosi, as well as threats and comments calling for her execution.
Fanone was one of dozens of law enforcement officers injured during the insurrection on January 6, 2021, when a mob marched on the Capitol at Trump’s behest and attacked him in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election. Fanone he told the House committee that investigated the insurrection that the attack on him, which was stopped only when he said he had children, gave him a heart attack.
In an interview, Fanone said he had been looking for an organization that would express his values and concerns about the future of the country, and that led him to Courage for America, a progressive group created after Republicans won a majority in the House of Representatives. in November. Common Defense, a veteran’s progressive grassroots organization, was formed during the 2016 election.
“I think we are still in grave danger,” Fanone said, despite this year’s midterm elections in which voters rejected several Trump acolytes. «I was like, yeah, democracy won, by a fraction of a percentage in many places.»
Although many candidates who denied the results of the 2020 presidential election were defeated, “many of those races were much closer than they should have been,” he said.
Lies about the 2020 election have spread widely and penetrated the Republican electorate. As recently as October, 58% of Republicans did not believe that the election of President Joe Biden was legitimate, according to a AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research Survey.
Veterans who have joined the groups share Fanone’s concerns about extremism in the US and believe it creates a situation «that is really opposition to the oath we took when we enlisted in the military,» said Naveed Shah, an army veteran who is the political director. for Common Defense and a spokesperson for Courage for America.
“The insurrection was neither the end nor the beginning of this kind of slow coup,” he said. «I am not going to try to predict what will happen in the future, but what I can say is that political violence in all its forms must be condemned.»
Once the groups finish in Washington, Shah said members will travel the country to speak with representatives in their districts about the need to condemn political violence and the language that fuels it.
Dozens of people charged in the Capitol attack have military backgrounds, including some associated with far-right groups facing the most serious charges. Others arrested in the riot include an Army reservist who sported a Hitler mustache while working at a Navy base and an active duty Marine officer seen on camera fighting with police and helping other members of the pro-Trump mob to break in. Capitol.
Alex Babcock, an Army veteran from Florida, started out as a Republican, but what he saw during the 2016 election, when Trump was alleging widespread fraud even before his victory over Hillary Clinton, led him to Common Defense.
He said veterans have a strong voice in defense of American democracy because they have been willing to sacrifice their lives for it. He said it was important to denounce politicians who try to cover up their messages.
“There aren’t a lot of people out there saying, ‘I want to hurt that guy,’” Babcock said. «But there are people who speak a language that is clear enough if you are listening.»