Jamie Raskin ridiculedMatt Gaetz as he ranted against the probe into the January 6 insurrection.- "Blah, blah, blah," Raskin said as Gaetz downplayed the significance of the deadly Capitol riot.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland on Wednesday mocked Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz as he ranted about the January 6 insurrection and downplayed its significance during a House Rules Committee hearing.
"You have no other legislation or other solutions for the country," Gaetz, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, said. "You guys need January 6th so bad."
At one point, Gaetz veered off topic and referenced the "Russia hoax."
"Blah, blah, blah, OK," Raskin replied.
-The Hill (@thehill) October 20, 2021
Gaetz testified in opposition to holding longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon in contempt for defying a subpoena for documents and testimony from the House select committee investigating January 6. The select committee on Tuesday night unanimously voted to hold Bannon in criminal contempt for defying the subpoena.
The House is set to hold a full vote Thursday on whether to hold Bannon in contempt. The House Rules Committee sets the terms for Thursday's floor debate.
During the heated exchange with Raskin at Wednesday's hearing, Gaetz would not admit that President Joe Biden fairly won the 2020 election. The Florida Republican effectively continued to promote Trump's "Big Lie" about the election or the false notion that it was "stolen" from him.
"Do you accept that Joe Biden won?" Raskin asked.
"I accept that Joe Biden is the president," Gaetz said.
Raskin then pressed Gaetz on whether he believed Biden legitimately won the election.
"Do you accept that Joe Biden won the election by over seven million votes and defeated Donald Trump by 306 to 232 in the Electoral College? A margin that Donald Trump called a landslide when he beat Hillary Clinton by the same numbers," Raskin said.
In response, the Republican lawmaker baselessly stated, "Our election was uniquely polluted by these indiscriminate mail-in ballots."
Trump and his allies filed over 40 lawsuits challenging the election results, and all of them failed.
There's no evidence of mass voter fraud linked to the 2020 election. Voter fraud is extraordinarily rare in the US. Trump's lies about the 2020 election, and unprecedented effort to overturn the results, provoked the deadly riot at the Capitol on January 6.
Gaetz was among the Republicans who embraced Trump's effort to overturn the election, voting against certifying Biden's Electoral College victory.