On Thursday, a North Carolina man drove a truck onto a sidewalk outside the Library of Congress, demanding to meet with President Joe Biden, ranting about a “revolution” and claiming he had explosives. After the man was arrested, Rep. Mo Brooks – the Alabama Republican who helped stoke the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol – issued a statement appearing to offer empathy to the suspect, expressing understanding at “citizenry anger directed at dictatorial Socialism.”
Brooks’ right-wing extremism is well established, but where are the other Republican voices rising to censure him and declare this isn’t the sentiment of their party?
There is plenty of blame to go around for the deadly insurrection of Jan. 6. It wasn’t just the chief instigator, then-President Donald Trump, who whipped up the anti-democracy mob but also elected fellow-travelers like Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, whose key challenge of election results lent undeserved credence to Trump’s vote-fraud lies.
Brooks’ culpability was even worse. He was the first member of either chamber of Congress to formally object to the vote-certification of Joe Biden as president. Hawley was subsequently the first senator to do so, which ensured there would be congressional votes attempting to overturn a valid election. Brooks was also the first speaker at the Trump rally preceding the attack, encouraging the mob to “start taking down names and kicking ass.”
Brooks was later implicated with two other GOP congressmen in collaborating with one of the far-right organizers of the attack. Brooks is also facing a lawsuit from fellow Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., alleging Brooks knowingly incited the mob.