Last week the Republican National Committee (RNC) made clear that it would rather be the “Big Lie” party than the “Big Tent” party by condemning two principled elected leaders while condoning conspiracies, lies, and violent insurrection. By censuring Congresswoman Liz Cheney and Congressman Adam Kinzinger for their role in investigating the January 6th attacks, they have betrayed the GOP’s founding principles and ceded control of a once-great movement to grifters and extremists. The RNC has also signaled that it no longer welcomes people of conscience.
The RNC’s description of the January 6th insurrection as “legitimate political discourse” is an affront to the rule of law, peaceful self-government, and the constitutional order. There can be no justifying the horrific attack that day, and we condemn the Committee for excusing the actions of men and women who battered police officers, ransacked our nation’s Capitol, called for hanging the Vice President of the United States, and sought to overturn a free and fair election.
History will mark this censure as a turning point for the RNC – a time of choosing between civility and patriotism, on the one hand, and conspiracy and political violence on the other. We stand firmly for the first set of values. We stand proudly next to principled leaders such as Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. And we stand united against efforts to defile our democracy.
| Signed |
| Alan Charles Raul Former Associate White House Counsel to President Ronald Reagan Alyssa Farah Former White House Communications Director, Assistant to the President, and Department of Defense Press Secretary Anne Gruner Former CIA Senior Executive Anthony Scaramucci Former White House Communications Director B. Jay Cooper Former Director of Communications RNC and Deputy White House Press Secretary Barbara Comstock Former Member of Congress Bob Dold Former Member of Congress Bob Worsley Retired Arizona State Senator Bruce Courtade Precinct Delegate; Former Michigan State Bar President C.J. Diegel Stand Up Republic Arizona State Leader Carlos Curbelo Former Member of Congress Carly Fiorina Former RNC Fundraising Chair Chad Mayes California State Assembly Member Charles Bass Former Member of Congress Charles Boustany Former Member of Congress Charles Fried Former Solicitor General Charles G. Ikins Colonel USMCR (Ret) and Former Official in the Office of the Secretary of Defense Charles Jeter Former North Carolina State Representative Charles K. Djou Former Member of Congress Charles R. Work Former Deputy Administrator of The Law Enforcement Assistance Administration in the Department of Justice Charlie Dent Former Member of Congress Chris Vance Former Chairman Washington State Republican Party Christie Todd Whitman Former Governor of New Jersey and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christopher Gagin Former GOP County Chairman – Ohio Christopher Shays Former Member of Congress Claudine Schneider Former Member of Congress Cole Wist Former Colorado State Representative Craig Snyder Former Chief of Staff, Senator Arlen Specter David B. Hill Director, Hill Research Consultants David Durenberger Former United States Senator David Ramadan Former Member, Virginia House of Delegates Denver Riggleman Former Member of Congress Desiree Tucker-Sorini Former Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Public Liaison for US Department of Treasury Davy Carter Former Arkansas Speaker of the House Douglas H Wise CIA Senior Intelligence Service (Ret) and former Deputy Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency Dr. Dov S. Zakheim Former Under Secretary of Defense Ed Cash President, Frontier Security Strategies and Former Homeland Security Official Eliot A. Cohen Former Counselor of the Department of State Emil H. Frankel Former Assistant Secretary of U.S. Department of Transportation Eric S. Edelman Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and Ambassador (ret.) Evan McMullin United States Senate Candidate (UT) Frank Lavin Former Director, White House Office of Political Affairs George Nethercutt Former Member of Congress Gordon Humphrey Former United States Senator Gregory P. Wilson Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Treasury Department Henry H. Gaffney, Jr. Doctor Politics of the Developing Areas J. Brian Ferguson Arkansas Trustee J. Randall Minchew Former Republican Member, 10th District Virginia House of Delegates Loudoun Jack Thomas Tomarchio Former Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis Operations James K. Glassman Former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James Peppe Former GOP Candidate for Office James R. Kunder Former Deputy Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development Jay Gruner CIA Senior Executive (Retired) Jeanne Newell United States Government, Retired Jeffrey N. Shane Former Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy Jen Millikin Former White House Advance Lead, President George W. Bush Jennifer A. Gregg Senior Intelligence Service, Central Intelligence Agency Jim Greenwood Former Member of Congress Jim Kolbe Former Member of Congress Joe Hunter Former George HW Bush administration official Joe Walsh Former Member of Congress John Bellinger Former Legal Adviser to the National Security Council John C. Danforth Former United States Senator John Kingston Founder, Better For America and American Awakening John LeBoutlier Former Member of Congress John Mitnick Former General Counsel, Department of Homeland Security John Roy Price Author, The Last Liberal Republican: An Insider’s Perspective on Nixon’s Surprising Social Policy Jon A. Wiant Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jonathan C. Rose Assistant Attorney General, US Department of Justice Joseph Neely Former activist and Interim County Chair, Michigan Josh Venable Former Deputy Finance Director, RNC and Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Education Karen Johnson Former Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs, Department of Education Karen Kirksey Director, 43 Alumni For America Kathleen Shanahan CEO Turtle & Hughes, former Cheney Chief Of Staff Kristen Marquardt Former Senior Counselor Department of Homeland Security Kristopher Purcell Former White House Aide to President George W. Bush Larry Pfeiffer Former Chief of Staff, CIA, and Senior Director, White House Situation Room Leonard Lance Former Member of Congress Linda Chavez Former Director of Public Liaison, The White House Linda J. Fisher Former Deputy Administrator of United States Environmental Protection Agency Lucy Caldwell Strategist, Former Campaign Manager, Walsh for President Mark Harvey Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Resilience Policy, National Security Council Staff Mark Salter Former Chief of Staff to Senator John McCain Mark Sanford Former Governor of South Carolina Marty Linsky Former Assistant Republican Floor Leader, Massachusetts House of Representatives Mary E. Peters Former US Secretary of Transportation Matt Walton Former GOP nominee VA House of Delegates Michael Belitzky Convention on Founding Principles Delegate Leader Michael Karloutsos Former Deputy Chief of Protocol and Acting Chief, State Department Michael Madrid Republican Consultant Michael Steele Former Chairman, RNC Mickey Edwards Former Member of Congress; visiting professor Princeton University Mike Bober Former NRCC Coalitions Director Mike Murphy GOP Political Consultant Miles Taylor Former Chief of Staff, US Department of Homeland Security Mona Charen Syndicated columnist Murray Dickman State and Federal official and GOP activist (Retired) Nate Bell Former Arkansas State Representative Neal Simon Former Candidate for United States Senate Nicholas Rostow Former Special Assistant to the President and Legal Adviser to the National Security Council Olivia Troye Former Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor to Former Vice President Mike Pence Paul Rosenzweig Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, US Department of Homeland Security Paul Wolfowitz Former United States. Deputy Secretary of Defense & United States Ambassador Peter Feaver Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and former National Security Council Official Peter Keisler Former Acting Attorney General Phil English Former Member of Congress R.J. Lyman Chair, Weld 2020 Randy Brockway Business Leader Ray LaHood Former Republican Member of Congress Reid Ribble Former Member of Congress Rina Shah RNC 2016 Delegate and Former RNC Surrogate Richard A Falkenrath Former Deputy Assistant to the President Justice Robert F. Orr North Carolina Supreme Court Justice, Retired Robert E. Patricelli Former U.S. Department of Transportation Official Rob Quartel Former Former George HW Bush Administration Official Rob Stutzman President, Stutzman Public Affairs Robert Shanks Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Rod Chandler Former Member of Congress Rodney Frelinghuysen Former Member of Congress Roger Bolton Former Assistant Secretary, US Department of Treasury Ron Sorini Former United States Ambassador and Chief Textile Negotiator Sally Bradshaw Former Chief of Staff to Florida Governor Jeb Bush Scott Rigell Former Member of Congress Serenety Hanley 43 Alumni for America, Former RNC Staff Shellie Bressler Former Republican Senior Professional Staff Member – House & Senate Committees Stephanie Grisham Former White House Press Secretary and Chief of Staff to First Lady Melania Trump Stephanie Winston Wolkoff Senior Advisor to former First Lady Melania Trump Stephen Kurzman Assistant Secretary, U.S. Dept. of Health, Education & Welfare Steve Bartlett Former Member of Congress Steve Carey Chairman, Potomac Strategic Development Former Senior Legislative Advisor Stuart M. Gerson Former Assistant Attorney General and Acting Attorney General of the United States Susan S. Anderson Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, US Department of Commerce Tara Setmayer Political Commentator Ted Roosevelt IV Member of the Republican Party Thomas E. Petri Former Member of Congress Thomas Niles United States Ambassador, Retired Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, PhD, U.S. Navy (ret) Former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy Administrator of NOAA Todd Ferrara Former Republican Appointee Veronica A. Haggart Former Commissioner of the International Trade Commission William Inboden Former Senior Director, National Security Council William F. Weld Former Governor of Massachusetts |
