Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., has not deserted former President Donald Trump. He has not apologized or backed down on his claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election. And he’s clearly not worried about the House. 6 The committee put him under fire for his efforts to reverse the results of that election.
If anything, all the evidence points to Biggs and other Trump Republicans seeking to give fresh breath to their “election fraud” misinformation campaign if the GOP regains control of the House next January. is preparing.
The Arizona Congressman is a member of the House Oversight Committee and is currently circulating a letter addressed to the chair of the committee. In the letter, Biggs urged an urgent hearing “to investigate possible illegal activities revealed in the documentary film ‘2000 Mules’.” It is only fair, he argues, given that the committee has “heard the Arizona election audit and Texas’ voting law.”
If you’re unfamiliar with the movie in question, it’s probably for the best. Directed by “historian” and Trump pardoner Dinesh D’Souza, “2000 Mules” premiered earlier this year at a screening at Mar-a-Lago. Although it proves that there was widespread fraud in Michigan and Georgia, the film has already outright debunked its claims of “ballot harvesting”. This includes outright dismissing the film’s central argument from former Attorney General William Barr, whose outrageous expulsion was broadcast last month as part of the January 6 committee’s second public hearing.
Those hearings have seen the January 6 committee systematically demonstrate the campaign to keep Trump in office after he lost to Joe Biden. While the breadth and depth of his allies in this effort have been the most revealing, all are committed to subverting the will of the electorate. Biggs was one of four Republican members of Congress the committee identified as working hardest toward this goal in May and was summoned to testify.
Among its arguments: Biggs was one of the first to write about ways to address Trump’s loss to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. He was reportedly one of 11 House Republicans present at the December 21 meeting at the White House to increase attendance at a January 6 rally and discuss the theory that Vice President Mike Pence could swing the election of Trump. Huh. And according to testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, Biggs was one of several members of Congress who requested a blanket apology from Trump following the attack on the Capitol. (Biggs has denied Hutchinson’s testimony on Twitter but has so far denied doing so under oath.)
Any consequences for Biggs’ behavior certainly won’t be coming from inside his own party.
Now, if I were Biggs, I would avoid focusing on the propaganda of those lies as evidence of wrongdoing. But with his letter, he opted to double down again by spotlighting “2000 mules,” which, despite its tone, are yet another outlandish series of claims that lack evidence altogether. It seems that Biggs is so oblivious of the potential consequences of his actions in support of Trump’s lies that he will keep spreading them rather than keeping his mouth shut.
No consequences for Biggs’ behavior will certainly come from within his own party. The House GOP is reportedly already planning that the January 6 committee’s facts will be sent to B.S. How to fight an avalanche of In true Trumpian fashion, this would involve using all the tools Democrats have used to investigate past administrations and attack the Biden administration on January 6th to bullshit. A senior GOP staffer on the House Administration Committee told Axios about Republicans, “When Republicans retake the majority, we will exercise our surveillance responsibilities, including summons authority, to review all tapes and information that has The reach of the committee is to identify the truth.” ‘Plan.
Now, will they find anything harmful or disrespectful towards Trump in there? Maybe not. But that’s not the point — like the “audit” in Arizona, which Biggs cited in his letter, the goal would be to use the existence of an investigation to dispel doubts and to throw off the idea that something shady happened and Caused Trump to lose in 2020. ,
Disappointingly enough, the GOP’s relentless denials and deflections are already working. A Monmouth University poll showed that more than half of Republican voters now say January 6 was a “rebellion” compared to last year, falling from 33% to just 13%. Meanwhile, 61% of GOP respondents say January 6 was a “legitimate protest,” compared to 47% last year.
I honestly can’t tell you at this point whether Biggs is a true believer in those conspiracies or just trying to win votes and raise money like some of his colleagues. I’m not sure it matters at this point.
The unfortunate truth is that the lies that led to the Capitol attack will become a permanent part of our discourse if they are allowed to continue without consequences. Biggs and his colleagues are still oblivious to this happening – it is now up to the January 6 committee to instill that fear in them.
