Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) didn’t cool off much overnight after delivering an impassioned House floor rebuke of Republicans who voted against a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Ryan stood his ground Thursday morning on CNN’s “New Day.” In his viral speech the day before, he condemned Republican members of the House, the majority of whom voted against a bill to form a bipartisan panel to investigate the attack led by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
“I vented last night, so I feel a little bit better,” Ryan said on CNN. “It’s ridiculous. These guys are getting all wrapped around the axle, they’re twisted up in knots trying to figure out how to spin this thing. This is not about spinning.”
He took aim in particular at Republicans who have actively tried to whitewash the reality of the insurrection that led to five deaths and the brutal assault of multiple police officers.
“You’re ignoring what happened to these cops and their families. You’re ignoring the fact that a cop, two cops, committed suicide. I mean, come on, how could you ignore this?” he said. “And for your own political purposes. It’s wrong.
“Everyone knows what’s happening here. And it just reaffirms that the Republican Party right now is not a serious political party.”
The country needs two major political parties to hold thoughtful debates on major issues like health care and building back the economy, he said.
“And right now, we have one that’s living in a world of delusion, and it’s a slap in the face to the American people,” he said.
The bill passed the House on a vote of 252-175 on Wednesday, with 35 Republicans joining Democrats in favor of the commission. Its fate is unclear in the Senate, where Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has already expressed his opposition to it.