Reactions to Newt Gingrich’s comments on the January 6th committee
On Sunday, former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich stated on Fox News that the members of the January 6th Committee would “face a real risk of jail” if the Republican party wins a majority in Congress in 2022.
Below, we break down how each side is seeing these comments, and why they see it that way. Keep in mind that these are only two ways of viewing this issue.
What else is each side focusing on?
- Republicans don’t think the rule of law applies to them.
- Right-wing media outlets are using these comments to fuel the idea of insurrection.
- The members of the January 6th Committee are abusing their office to target political opponents.
- The January 6th Committee’s investigation is illegitimate because it is hyper-partisan.
The Narrative
Gingrich refuses to take responsibility for his and his fellow Republicans’ actions. Instead, he threatens the members of the lawful and legitimate investigation into the insurrection on January 6th. This amounts to fascism, and is a threat to democracy.
Gingrich is correctly calling out the January 6th committee as illegitimate. The committee is targeting politicians and private citizens for their political views. This amounts to tyranny.
How could a reasonable person come to think this?
To the left, the events of January 6th were an attempt to overturn a legitimate democratic election, posing a threat for the continued stability of the country. People involved in planning and carrying out this attack need to be held accountable for their actions to ensure no one tries to overturn a legitimate election again.
To the right, January 6th was an attempt to raise legitimate concerns about election irregularities gone wrong. The Democrats are using those events as an excuse to punish conservatives for their political views. To ensure the long-term stability of our democracy, we need to be able to voice concerns over election security.
What does each side see as fact?
- Republicans don’t think the rule of law applies to them.
- Right-wing media outlets are using these comments to fuel the idea of insurrection.
- The members of the January 6th Committee are abusing their office to target political opponents.
- The January 6th Committee’s investigation is illegitimate because it is hyper-partisan.
The Narrative
Gingrich refuses to take responsibility for his and his fellow Republicans’ actions. Instead, he threatens the members of the lawful and legitimate investigation into the insurrection on January 6th. This amounts to fascism, and is a threat to democracy.
Gingrich is correctly calling out the January 6th committee as illegitimate. The committee is targeting politicians and private citizens for their political views. This amounts to tyranny.
How could a reasonable person come to think this?
To the left, the events of January 6th were an attempt to overturn a legitimate democratic election, posing a threat for the continued stability of the country. People involved in planning and carrying out this attack need to be held accountable for their actions to ensure no one tries to overturn a legitimate election again.
To the right, January 6th was an attempt to raise legitimate concerns about election irregularities gone wrong. The Democrats are using those events as an excuse to punish conservatives for their political views. To ensure the long-term stability of our democracy, we need to be able to voice concerns over election security.
Our interpretation of Gingrich’s comments is influenced by both our opinion of the January 6th Committee and our view of the events on January 6th. Because we come into this conversation from diametrically opposing positions, it’s unsurprising that Gingrich’s comments received mixed reviews.
To learn more about how each side reached their positions on January 6th and the January 6th Committee, check out these deep dives about the events at the Capitol on January 6th and the January 6th Committee.