众议院议长南希·佩洛西周三称共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡“从字面上逃离”了美国广播公司新闻部国会记者雷切尔·斯科特一天前她问他关于共和党全国委员会的责难决议——这一时刻现在已经占据了国际头条，并产生了无数的迷因。
佩洛西在国会山的每周新闻发布会上说:“共和党人似乎正在与自己进行一场边缘竞赛，看看自己能走到多低的地步。“他们认为1月6日发生的事情是正常的政治话语——合法的、正当的政治话语，这种说法似乎已经到了谷底。”
众议院议长直接抨击她的共和党对手在共和党的决定性时刻一再回避对该决议的问题。
上周通过的这项决议指责共和党众议员利兹·切尼和亚当·金辛格参与了“迫害普通公民”，他们在1月6日参与了“合法的政治对话”，因为他们在调查袭击的众议院特别委员会工作。
“令人不安的是，众议院共和党领袖实际上拒绝谴责合法政治言论的决议。当被问及他的立场时，他真的逃离了媒体，”佩洛西说。
她说:“共和党人可以参选，但他们无法逃避1月6日发生的事情。“称之为合法的政治话语:140名执法人员受伤，一些人死亡。这是对国会大厦和国会的攻击。更重要的是，这是对我们民主的攻击。”
我试着问@GOPLeader关于RNC将1月6日描述为“合法政治对话”的决议，他告诉我去他的办公室预约……坚称在走廊里回答问题“不好”。pic.twitter.com/yaL8opl6Pf
—雷切尔·斯科特(@拉切尔·斯科特)2022年2月8日
麦卡锡在佩洛西的新闻发布会后回答了记者的问题，而不是像他之前那样试图回避这些问题。
这位共和党领袖似乎试图两全其美，他最终表示，他同意参议院少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔的声明，即1月6日的袭击是一次“暴力起义”，但没有像麦康奈尔那样谴责RNC的行动。
“是啊，我同意。任何闯入这栋大楼的人，我的意思是，没有人会不同意这一点，”麦卡锡告诉记者。
麦卡锡在为RNC和主席罗纳·麦克丹尼尔做清理工作时说，决议中提到的“普通公民”是被特别委员会传唤的人，他们在袭击当天不在华盛顿。
“我认为，如果他们解释清楚自己在和谁说话，这一点也不会引起争议。他们指的不是闯入这栋大楼的人，每个人都明白这一点，”麦卡锡慢悠悠地对记者说。
但他没有澄清，鉴于RNC在1月6日通过的决议提到“普通公民”参与“合法的政治对话”，他如何能够得出这样的结论。
麦克丹尼尔随后也发表声明，试图在强烈反对声中澄清该决议的“合法政治话语”语言，并补充道，“这与国会大厦的暴力事件无关”——尽管值得注意的是，这些话并没有被纳入由168名成员组成的机构上周五批准的谴责文本。
当被问及他是否支持RNC决定像切尼和金辛格那样追捕他们时，麦卡锡说，“他们有权做他们的决定和他们想做的事情。”
在她早些时候的新闻发布会上，佩洛西继续将共和党等同于“邪教”——呼应了众议院民主党核心小组主席哈基姆·杰弗里斯的信息，他在本周早些时候表示，“RNC”中的“C”代表“邪教”
“我一直对共和党人说:‘把你们的党从这个邪教中夺回来。’收回你的派对。美国需要一个强大的共和党和一个强大的民主党，”她补充道。
美国广播公司新闻首席白宫记者塞西莉亚·维加周二询问白宫对RNC决议的反应，以及他们是否同意一些民主党人对共和党是“邪教”的描述
白宫新闻秘书珍·普萨基(Jen Psaki)说:“我认为美国人很清楚，1月6日发生的事情不是合法的政治言论，冲击国会大厦试图阻止权力的和平过渡不是合法的政治言论，袭击和伤害140多名警察、打碎窗户和玷污办公室也不是合法的政治言论。
“这告诉我们所有人，一些主要的共和党人已经投射了这一特征，包括前总统的国家安全顾问和前副总统的幕僚长，正如他所说，他们那天坐在前排，包括暴徒高呼要绞死前副总统，”她继续说道。“因此，我们当然拒绝接受这是我们认为合法的政治言论的观点——很多美国人也会这么认为。”
佩洛西让共和党人暴跳如雷的前一天，麦康奈尔被问及RNC直接使用的“合法政治话语”语言时，尖锐地将1月6日描述为“暴力起义”，并暗示RNC挑出现任成员是不合适的。
Pelosi blasts McCarthy for dodging press on RNC resolution, GOP for hitting 'rock bottom'
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called out GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday, saying he "literally ran away" from ABC News Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott asshe asked him one day earlierabout the Republican National Committee censure resolution -- a moment that has now captured international headlines and produced countless memes.
"Republicans seem to be having a limbo contest with themselves to see how low they can go," Pelosi said at her weekly news conference on Capitol Hill. "They seem to have reached rock bottom with their statement that what happened on January 6 was normal political discourse -- legitimate, legitimate political discourse."
The House speaker directly blasted her Republican counterpart for repeatedly dodging questions on the resolution in what's unfolding as a defining moment for the GOP.
The resolution which passed last week censured GOP Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for what their involvement in the "persecution of ordinary citizens" who were engaged in "legitimate political discourse" on Jan. 6 because of their work on the House select committee investigating the attack.
"It's disturbing to see that Republican leader of the House ran -- actually literally refused to condemn that resolution of legitimate political discourse. He literally ran away from the press when he was asked about his position," Pelosi said.
"Republicans can run but they cannot hide from what happened on January 6," she said. "To call that legitimate political discourse: 140 law enforcement officers were wounded, some people died. It was an assault on Capitol, on Congress. More importantly, an assault on our democracy."
I tried to ask@GOPLeaderabout the RNC's resolution describing Jan. 6 as "legitimate political discourse" He told me to make an appointment with his office… insisting it's "not good" to answer questions in hallways.pic.twitter.com/yaL8opl6Pf
— Rachel Scott (@rachelvscott)February 8, 2022
McCarthy responded to reporters' questions following Pelosi's news conference, instead of attempting to avoid them as he had earlier.
The Republican leader appeared to try to have it both ways, saying finally that he agreed with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's statement that the attack on Jan. 6 was a "violent insurrection" -- but did not go as far a McConnell in rebuking the RNC's action.
"Yeah, I agree. Anyone who broke into this building, I mean, no one would disagree with that," McCarthy told reporters.
Playing cleanup for the RNC and Chair Ronna McDaniel, McCarthy said the "ordinary citizens" cited in the resolution are people who have been subpoenaed by the select committee who were not present in Washington on the day of the attack.
"I think had they explained out what they were talking to, this wouldn't be controversial at all. They weren't referring to people who have broken into this building, everyone understands that," McCarthy said to reporters, walking at a leisurely pace.
But he did not clarify how he could conclude that given that the resolution the RNC passed referred to "ordinary citizens" engaged in "legitimate political discourse" -- on Jan. 6.
McDaniel has also released subsequent statements attempting to clarify the resolution's "legitimate political discourse" language amid backlash, adding the words, "that had nothing to do with violence at the Capitol," -- though notably, those words were not included in the censure text that the 168-member body approved last Friday.
Asked if he supports that the RNC decided to go after Cheney and Kinzinger in the way that they did, McCarthy said, "They have the right to do their resolution and what they want to do."
At her earlier press conference, Pelosi went on to equate the Republican Party with a "cult" -- echoing messaging from House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries, who said earlier this week that the "C" in "RNC" stands for "cult."
"I say this to Republicans all the time: 'Take back your party from this cult.' Take back your party. America needs a strong Republican Party and a strong Democratic Party," she added.
ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega asked the White House on Tuesday for reaction to the RNC resolution and whether they agree with some Democrats' characterization that the GOP is a "cult."
"I think it's clear to Americans that what happened on January 6 was not legitimate political discourse, storming the Capitol in an attempt to halt the peaceful transition of power is not legitimate political discourse, neither is attacking and injuring over 140 police officers, smashing windows and to defiling offices," said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
"It's telling to all of us that some leading Republicans have projected that characterization, including the former president's national security adviser and the chief of staff to the former vice president, who, as he put it, had a front-row seat that day, including as rioters chanted for the former Vice President to be hanged," she continued. "So again, we certainly reject the notion that that was legitimate political discourse as we think – very a large number of Americans would as well."
Pelosi putting Republicans on blast comes one day after McConnell, asked about the "legitimate political discourse" language the RNC used directly, pointedly characterized Jan. 6 as a "violent insurrection" and suggested the RNC was out of line to single out sitting members.
