Asa Hutchinson: GOP Needs to ‘Not Diminish’ January 6, Trump Had ‘Responsibility’

Governor Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that for long-term success, the Republican Party needs to stop diminishing the events of January 6, 2021, and admit former President Donald Trump has “responsibility.”

Anchor Jake Tapper said, “According to a Washington Post survey, 63% of Republicans who embraced the big lie about the election are running for statewide positions throughout the United States. Are you worried at all about individuals who embrace the big lie and support the notion of elections? Are you worried about them elected into positions where they could potentially warp and undermine legitimate election results?”

Hutchinson said, “Well, what worries me is that they’re not demonstrating leadership. Whenever you’re running for office, that’s whenever you start about the future, and you help educate the voters as to what happened on January 6, and you make this about the future. We’re going to win. I feel comfortable with the GOP in the short term. We’re going to have a good 2022. I’m excited about the elections, but at the same time, if we want to be a party of strength over the long term, then we’ve got to not diminish and minimize the consequences of January 6, and this last week was a time of reflection on that, and over the coming years, it’s going to get worse, not better, and so we have to, one, make sure we show that that was unacceptable, we have to define it in the right way. It was an attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power. Thirdly, we have to make sure we are clear that President Trump did have some responsibility for that. Beyond that, let’s move on. Let’s talk about our future, and I think that’s how a candidate runs for office.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN