R&I – FS
Some Republican lawmakers backed President Donald Trump’s election fraud conspiracy theories because they are living in fear of violent reprisals from hardline supporters of the president, GOP lawmakers have said.
Multiple Republicans told Politico that there is enhanced fear among lawmakers from the party who live in areas where there is widespread support for the president.
Many returned home to find that their constituents backed the riots by hardline Trump supporters that engulfed the Capitol last week and led to five deaths.
Newly-elected Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan, in an interview with Reason.com last week, said that colleagues acted out of fear by opposing the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
He said he “had colleagues who, when it came time to recognize reality and vote to certify Arizona and Pennsylvania in the Electoral College, they knew in their heart of hearts that they should’ve voted to certify, but some had legitimate concerns about the safety of their families. They felt that that vote would put their families in danger.”
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