Rep. Lynch: If Lawmakers Are Found To Have Helped Rioters, ‘We’ll Have To Expel Them’

WGBH Radio

By  Meghan Smith

As officials investigate the security failure at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, one thing is clear, according to Rep. Stephen Lynch: “In a way, this is endemic of this administration,” he told GBH’s Morning Edition Host Joe Mathieu Friday. “This is what President Trump has led us to. It’s a sad state of affairs.” 

Some House Democrats allege that some Republican members of Congress gave rioters “reconnaissance” tours of the Capitol ahead of the attack, and an investigation of the accusation is underway. If the allegations are true, Lynch said that Congress will have to take action. 

“We’ll have to expel them,” he said. “That’s pretty low, when you take an oath to support and defend the Constitution. You have colleagues there, and you’re putting them in danger.”

As chairman of the House Oversight and Reform National Security subcommittee, Lynch said he has been briefed by the FBI on the deadly attack and continuing security risk ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, which has caused him to reflect on the personal risk he will take by attending the ceremony. He added that his wife likely won’t accompany him to the event due to the threats of violence.

“This is Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ moment,” he said about next week’s inauguration. “It’s been drastically changed into something else. Unfortunately, there will be far more National Guard than there will be spectators.” 

Lynch said that the U.S. tradition of a peaceful transfer of power is “the marvel of the world” and he lamented that with barbed wire fencing and scores of National Guard troops guarding the Capitol, the image of America’s democracy is weakened. 

“It’s a sad day,” he said about the beefed-up security. “Unfortunately, this is all necessary.” 

Lynch also called out major news outlets that have pushed Trump’s false assertions of election fraud. He called for more education around media literacy to combat disinformation.

“The country is divided because we’re all working from a different set of facts,” he said. “But you’re up against the free speech clause of the Constitution, so in some ways our greatest strength is also our weakness.” 

Click here to listen to the interview.