As some call for “reconciliation” following the Capitol insurrection — an important precursor to reconciliation is truth. Republican leaders who stoked election fraud controversy and stoked a “combat” narrative need to come clean and admit that their allegations are false. (1/7)

This applies to elected officials, party officials, campaign staffers and attorneys, talk show hosts, columnists, and anyone who advanced (and continues to advance) these claims. (2/7)

I’m not sure that we have fully come to grips with how terrifying and monumental a moment we witnessed last week. A violent mob stormed the Capitol to stop certification of Biden’s victory and him becoming President, at the urging of the sitting President and his allies. (3/7)

Reconciliation cannot simply be a euphemism for “moving on” and giving those whose rhetoric and actions led to insurrection a free pass. There must be admission of culpability. (4/7)

Admitting that these claims are false is a minimum. This really needs to go one step further. Those who advanced the fraud/rigged/stolen election story need to admit they did this knowing it was false to advance their own personal and political agendas. (5/7)

Some are likely true believers in the the voter fraud claims, so will never admit. But, I don’t believe that Sens. Cruz or Hawley fit this category. More worryingly, Cruz and Hawley continued on this path even after witnessing what they had helped foment. (6/7)

I do not expect this to happen widely and am thus pessimistic about the prospects for “reconciliation.” But at least we have some way to measure our progress towards reconciliation — how many of members of the voter fraud chorus come clean and openly embrace the truth. (7/7)