The Republican Accountability Project, a so-called conservative anti-Trump group championed by figures such as Bill Kristol, has given Republican lawmakers letter grades based on how they purportedly have defended democracy.
The “GOP Democracy Report Card” is part of the group’s efforts to track the level of Republican legislators’ allegiance to former President Donald Trump, Reuters reported. The Republican Accountability Project argues that on Jan. 6, “Our Capitol was attacked by a mob that believed that the 2020 election was being stolen. They were encouraged by the lies and actions of President Trump and many Republican members of Congress.”
“The Republican Accountability Project has created what it’s calling a ‘GOP Democracy Report Card…’ Only 14 Republicans in Congress received an ‘A’, the highest possible grade. In contrast, more than 100 Republicans received an ‘F’…” https://t.co/3ncDyDI37l
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) April 26, 2021
“In the name of accountability, it’s vitally important we remember which Congressional Republicans stood with democracy and the Constitution, and which did not,” the group ads.
The grading system was based on four criteria, according to the group’s webpage. The first was if the Republican “sign[ed] on to the amicus brief filed along with Texas’ lawsuit to the Supreme Court that sought to nullify votes cast in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Georgia?” The second was if the Republican opposed the certification of one or more states when counting the Electoral College votes of the 2020 presidential election. The third was based on, “public statements that cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election.” And, finally, whether or not the lawmaker voted “to hold Trump accountable via impeachment or conviction.”
An overwhelming number of Republicans, 136, received “F” grades from the group, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley both received “F’s” as well, even though neither of them signed on to the amicus brief in Texas’ lawsuit. Another 37 Republicans received “D-” grades.
But, the groups efforts seems to not have deterred many Republican lawmakers. “Sen. Cruz doesn’t care what a bunch of Never Trump swamp creatures think,” a spokesperson for Cruz told the Daily Caller via email.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was among the 58 Republican lawmakers who scored in the “C” range, even though the Republican Accountability Project acknowledged McConnell did not sign onto the amicus brief or vote to not certify Electoral College votes. Only 15 Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate scored in the “A” range, with Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, Michigan Republican Rep. Peter Meijer, Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, and Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski among them. (RELATED: Pundits And Democrats Plan To Hold Trump Supporters Accountable)
Some prominent political figures cheered the release of the list. Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin tweeted out the list saying “Now THIS is helpful.”
GOP Democracy Report Card … Now THIS is helpful https://t.co/Xr68wihZZf
— Jennifer ‘pro-voting’ Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) April 26, 2021
Did your members of Congress support American democracy when it needed it? Use this handy legislator search tool —->https://t.co/N0Ues1dY5q
— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) April 26, 2021
Bulwark Founder Charlie Sykes called it a “handy legislator search tool”