- Mitch McConnell slammed Democrats for trying to "exploit" the January 6 anniversary.
- He accused them of pushing "partisan policy goals that long predated this event."
- McConnell did not attend the commemorative events at the Capitol on Thursday.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday marked the anniversary of the "dark" and "disgraceful" January 6 Capitol insurrection, but also criticized Democratic leaders over how they've commemorated the deadly day.
"January 6th, 2021 was a dark day for Congress and our country. The United States Capitol, the seat of the first branch of our federal government, was stormed by criminals who brutalized police officers and used force to try to stop Congress from doing its job," the Kentucky Republican said in a statement, referring to when Congress met to certify the 2020 presidential election results.
"This disgraceful scene was antithetical to the rule of law. One year later, I am as grateful as ever for the brave men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police who served our institution bravely that day and every day since. I continue to support justice for those who broke the law," he continued.
McConnell then took aim at Democrats, accusing them of trying to "exploit" the anniversary to push forward their agenda.
"It has been stunning to see some Washington Democrats try to exploit this anniversary to advance partisan policy goals that long predated this event. It is especially jaw-dropping to hear some Senate Democrats invoke the mob's attempt to disrupt our country's norms, rules, and institutions as a justification to discard our norms, rules, and institutions themselves," McConnell said.
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Democratic lawmakers gathered at the Capitol on Thursday to commemorate January 6 through speeches, a moment of silence, and other events. Republican leaders, including McConnell, were notably absent. McConnell is traveling to Atlanta, Georgia, to attend the funeral of his former colleague, Sen. Johnny Isakson.
In a speech, Biden recounted the day's violence, honored the deaths of law enforcement officials, and issued a stark warning that "we must make sure that such an attack never, never happens again."
The president also criticized former President Donald Trump, pinning blame on him — without explicitly naming him — for the riot and condemning his "big lie" that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.
"He built his lie over months. It wasn't based on any facts," Biden said. "He's not just a former president. He's a defeated former president — defeated by a margin of over 7 million of your votes in a full and free and fair election."
At one point in his speech, Biden also commented on states' efforts to reshape voting laws. Many of these new laws restrict voting access and politicize the election administration process.
"So, we have to be firm, resolute, and unyielding in our defense of the right to vote and to have that vote counted," Biden said.
Among Senate Democrat's top priorities is advancing voting rights legislation. But the party, which controls 50 Senate seats with Vice President Kamala Harris able to cast a tie-breaking vote, needs to overcome the 60-vote filibuster requirement in order for a bill to pass. That means possibly tweaking Senate rules to move the voting rights legislation along by a simple-majority vote.
McConnell and Republicans have previously blocked Democrats' voting rights legislation and have expressed widespread opposition to the policy proposal.
"No party that would trash the Senate's legislative traditions can be trusted to seize control over election laws across America," McConnell said in a statement on Wednesday. "Nobody who is this desperate to take over our democracy on a one-party basis can be allowed to do it."