Read on Twitter
. @RepChrisSmith is working very hard to appear on the reasonable side of the entire Trump era due to Monday’s insurrection. He’s really good at threading the needle, but it should not be acceptable, and local press should hold him accountable. A thread:
@RepChrisSmith endorsed all of Trump’s worst inclinations for four years. But let’s just focus on the period between the election and now. Trump began shouting fraud right away. Smith didn’t speak, until two weeks after when @jeffedelstein asks if he supports Trump’s actions.
@RepChrisSmith goes with “Al Gore” and the “we need definitive confirmation of the results.” @jeffedelstein trashes him, and rightfully so. https://www.trentonian.com/news/are-there-any-republicans-in-new-jersey-willing-to-stand-up-to-soon-to-be/article_28078fa8-2a86-11eb-a28b-e328ffb1cbf6.html
@RepChrisSmith then remains silent for several weeks while Trump ramps up voter fraud lies. After call to GA Sec. of State asking for 11,780 votes, @dracioppi asks Smith if he will support objections. Smith doesn’t feel the need to say anything.
After Jan. 6th sedition, egged on by president, @RepChrisSmith issues general condemnation of violence - ok, everyone does and should do that. No criticism of President.
Then @RepChrisSmith says president should have asked them to stop once it got bad. Ok, but no criticism of all the lies that got us here.
@RepChrisSmith doesn’t support objections to electoral count, that’s good. But he begins talking about need for a “top-to-bottom” review of elections to make sure they are free of fraud. Here’s where the problem lies. They already are secure. We all know that. Smith knows that.
It appears benign, but @RepChrisSmith is contributing to the “doubt” that GOP is saying millions have - and therefore why they must object to electoral count. It was lies about the security of the election that got us here.
By saying “the future of our nation depends on” this review, @RepChrisSmith is feeding that doubt. https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=409105
(Side note, read his statement on election security, how no one should cheat, and remember what he did during impeachment.) https://www.nj.com/opinion/2019/11/congressman-chris-smith-we-need-for-you-to-speak-up-about-trump-and-impeachment-opinion.html
But it gets worse. This 40 year Congressman, already showing zero courage and little judgement, joined the “maybe it was Antifa” club. @CBaldwinPatch, who is always thorough, made sure to check when @RepChrisSmith said “so-called protesters.” https://patch.com/new-jersey/middletown-nj/rep-chris-smith-condemns-assault-capitol-hill
Yes. After everything that has happened, after forty years of service and four years of complicit silence, @RepChrisSmith fed the wildest conspiracy of all. That the people the President invited and incited, weren’t really his supporters.
No, @RepChrisSmith’s “it’s pure speculation” comment doesn’t absolve him, that’s as bad as Trump’s “a lot of people are saying” BS. Smith should know that words matter, and he’s feeding the beast.
But, as is typical of @RepChrisSmith, he’s not “the worst” (thanks @CongressmanJVD) and he appears reasonable. But that misses the point. This moment, and the last four years, didn’t need “not the worst.” They needed leadership, courage, and integrity.
After 40 years, @RepChrisSmith exhibited none.
Here’s the post election saga in context: https://patch.com/new-jersey/freehold/chris-smith-s-cowardice-brought-us-here-nodx
Here’s the post election saga in context: https://patch.com/new-jersey/freehold/chris-smith-s-cowardice-brought-us-here-nodx
So often, NJ press forgets to even ask @RepChrisSmith anything. They stormed the damn Capitol. Dig a little deeper, don’t settle for “not the worst.” Put the whole picture together and Smith helped bring us here. And he really should have known better.
