Trump's former national security advisor slammed the RNC for suggesting the Capitol riot was a 'legitimate political discourse'

• The RNC censured two Republicans on the House Jan. 6 committee on Friday.
• It said they were persecuting "ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse."

HR McMaster, who served as Donald Trump's national security advisor, rejected a claim by the Republican National Committee that the Capitol riot was a form of "legitimate political discourse," saying it was an attack on the US government.

"It was illegitimate political discourse because it was an assault on the first branch of government," McMaster told CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

"And so I think it's really important for us to come together now, Margaret," McMaster told the host Margaret Brennan. "I really think it is possible to improve the transparency and the security of our elections, while ensuring that every eligible voter … gets to vote."

—CBS News (@CBSNews) February 7, 2022

The Republican National Committee moved to censure Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, the two Republicans on the commission investigating the Capitol riot, on Friday, claiming the pair was engaged in "persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse."

The comments echoed disinformation spread by Trump and his allies, which has sought to portray the riot as largely peaceful, and the investigations by law-enforcement agencies and lawmakers as part of a plot to persecute conservatives.

The dispute has exposed the rift in the Republican Party between those who have condemned the riot and called for those involved to be held accountable, and a pro-Trump contingent who have sought to minimize violence of the attack.

McMaster, a former lieutenant general who served as Trump's national security advisor between 2017 and 2018, was regarded as a stabilizing figure in Trump's national-security team. But he was frequently derided by those on the far right of the GOP as being insufficiently loyal to Trump's hardline nationalist agenda.

In the "Face the Nation" interview, McMaster said former Vice President Mike Pence was right to reject Trump's claim that he could have rejected the result of the 2020 presidential election.

"All Americans should agree with Vice President Pence," McMaster said. "It's time … I think to demand more from our political leaders, demand that they stop compromising confidence in our democratic principles and institutions and processes to score partisan political points. This happens across both political parties, and it's just time to stop."