Republican congressman calls out 'bogus' claims by GOP colleagues downplaying Capitol riot
Republican Rep. Fred Upton on Sunday called out an effort by some of his GOP colleagues to downplay the Capitol insurrection, saying their "bogus" claims about the deadly attack are evidence of a need to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the incident.
Posted — Updated"It's absolutely bogus. You know, I was there. I watched a number of the folks walk down to the White House and then back. I have a balcony on my office. So I saw them go down. I heard the noise -- the flash bangs, I smelled some of the gas as it moved my way," the Michigan congressman told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union" when asked about comments made by several congressional Republicans last week who attempted to re-write what happened on January 6.
Among the claims made was one by Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Republican from Georgia, who falsely compared the riot to a tourist visit, saying during a hearing on the attack that "there was no insurrection and to call it an insurrection, in my opinion, is a bold baseline."
Upton told Bash he wasn't sure what was motivating his colleagues to make such claims, but that those statements stand as a reason why he supports a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack. Lawmakers on Friday cleared a hurdle on Friday in creating a bipartisan commission after the top Democrat and Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee struck a deal on how to structure the independent panel.
"Get the facts out, try to assure the American public this is what happened, and let the facts lead us to the conclusion," Upton said.
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