A convincing 57 percent majority of Republicans say the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was more an act of “patriotism” than an insurrection.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has been under pressure to quicken his investigation into the Capitol insurrection and expand its scope to include Trump and his close associates. The House Select Committee Investigating the Jan. 6 Attack on the Capitol has been getting closer and closer to former President Donald Trump with the figures it has been interviewing and securing cooperation from.

But according to an exclusive poll by The New Republic, there’s an ever-widening gap in how the attack is viewed by Americans.

Respondents to the poll were asked “Thinking about the people who forced their way into the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, would you say that was more of an insurrection against the United States or more of an act of patriotism?”

Among all respondents, 66 percent replied “Insurrection” and 34 percent said “Act of patriotism.”

Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning respondents, the result was 88 percent “Insurrection” and 12 percent “Act of patriotism.”

For Republicans, the numbers were inverted: 43 percent “Insurrection” and 57 percent “Act of patriotism.”

But Guy Molyneux, from the pollster Hart Research Associates, observed that the reulst cuts two ways:

Interestingly, the Republican rank and file is split about what January 6, 2021, represents. Although most Republicans in our poll described the events of that day as patriotic, a hefty minority said what happened was an insurrection—a dissensus, it should be underscored, that isn’t reflected among Republican Party leadership, which has been overwhelmingly reluctant to condemn the incident. “I don’t know whether we should take a lot of comfort in knowing there are still 43 percent of Republicans who think that was wrong,” Molyneux reflected, “or despair that it’s only 43 percent.”

While Republican voters and their leadership may share a similar disinterest in pursuing accountability for Jan. 6., another recent poll shows they’re out of step with the rest of Americans. A Politico/Morning Consult poll released last week showed a stunning 71 percent of Americans believe officials who support Trump’s election lies are guilty of a “crime,” and similar majorities want the Justice Department to take action.

The post NEW POLL: Whopping 57 Percent of Republicans See Jan. 6 as ‘Act of Patriotism’ Rather Than ‘Insurrection’ first appeared on Mediaite.

from Mediaite https://ift.tt/diBNmeb