On the evening before the Friday session of the full 169-member Republican National Committee, debate grew increasingly intense over the language of a proposed resolution censuring GOP Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Liz Cheney of Wyoming.
With members of the Resolutions Committee meeting behind closed doors at the RNC's winter meeting in Salt Lake City, sources close to the committee told Newsmax that there was a movement to water down the wording of the resolution.
Specifically, several on the committee were trying to keep wording to a specific reason for censure of Cheney and Kinzinger for joining the January 6 Commission of the House and avoid calling on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to oust the two lawmakers from the House GOP Conference, the sources said on the condition of anonymity.
The stumbling block in achieving this, the sources said, is the author of the resolution, Maryland GOP National Committeeman Dave Bossie.
''Dave truly believes Cheney and Kinzinger betrayed Kevin McCarthy by agreeing to go on the Democrat-controlled commission after Kevin's own choices were rejected by [Democratic House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi,'' our source said. ''He doesn't want those two to get away with just a slap on the wrist.''
New Jersey GOP National Committeeman Bill Palatucci is at the forefront of the effort to water down or stop the censure motion outright.
''It is just part of a circular firing squad, and it makes no sense to single out members of Congress for one move that Republicans don't like,'' he told Newsmax.
Palatucci, an adviser to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, said that while it was too late to introduce new resolutions, he might offer one at the RNC's next meeting this summer ''that praises [former Vice President] Mike Pence for saving the Republic and standing up the Constitution by certifying the 2020 election results on January 6 [2021].''
On Friday, the full RNC will vote on whether to accept or reject any motion coming from the Resolutions Committee.
As of Thursday evening, the sentiment in Salt Lake City appeared to lean toward a strongly worded resolution against Cheney and Kinzinger.
Alabama GOP Chairman John Wahl voiced this sentiment when he told Newsmax: ''I co-sponsored the resolution as a response to the problem created by Cheney and Kinzinger. Their actions in joining the January 6 Commission and their comments afterwards must have serious consequences.''
Wahl added that by supporting a strong resolution, ''I am representing my constituents.''
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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