On Wednesday, Rep. Eric Swalwell tweeted a statement accusing House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s top lieutenant, Rep. Elise Stefanik, of siding with “one of the biggest traitors America has seen.” He went on to say that being white, male and Christian is not a license to betray one’s country and put thousands of lives at risk.
Stefanik recently replaced Liz Cheney as the No. 3 Republican in the House after Cheney was ousted from her leadership position due to her criticism of former President Donald Trump’s role in inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Swalwell did not explicitly name who he believes Stefanik is siding with but his tweet references a CNN article reporting that she was fundraising off of her opposition to establishing an independent commission to investigate the events leading up to and during the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol building.
This isn’t the first time Stefanik has been accused of supporting traitors according to Swalwell’s tweet. During Trump’s first impeachment hearing over his pressure campaign against Ukraine for political purposes, Stefanik emerged as one of Trump’s most vocal defenders in Congress.
The accusation made by Swalwell has drawn widespread attention and reactions from both sides of the political aisle.
Some have defended Stefanik arguing that she is entitled to express her opinion just like any other member of Congress while others have criticized Swalwell for making such allegations without providing concrete evidence.
In response, Stefank issued a statement condemning Swalwell saying: “It is pathetic that @RepSwalwell…is once again lying about me & making slanderous attacks.”
She went on to describe herself as a proud American who has always put her country before politics and said she would continue working hard for her constituents despite what she called baseless attacks from Democrats like Swalwell.
While this incident may be newsworthy for its heated rhetoric between members across parties it highlights how divided lawmakers remain regarding accountability for the violent event that took place on Capitol Hill.
The events of January 6th and their aftermath continue to be a contentious issue with many Republicans hesitating to accept responsibility for Trump’s role in instigating the insurrection. Meanwhile, Democrats are pushing for accountability and justice through investigations like the failed bill Stefanik fundraised off of opposing.
It remains to be seen whether Swalwell’s accusation against Stefanik will lead to any further action or if it will simply fade away as another example of political posturing in Washington D.C.