Senior House Democrat critiques GOP colleagues for sticking to ‘cult’ of Trump

“They’re still bending the knee to Donald Trump,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries says

US House Judiciary Committee member Rep. Hakeem Jeffries delivers an opening statement during a committee markup hearing with Rep. Jamie Raskiin (D-MD) on the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill on 11 December, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)

House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries has accused Republicans of being “part of a cult” when it comes to their dedication to former President Donald Trump.

Speaking during a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Jeffries, the fourth-ranking House Democrat, said Republicans’ decision to block a bill seeking to create an independent commission into the 6 January insurrection at the US Capitol was telling “about the state of the modern Republican Party”.

Mr Jeffries said while Democrats are a “coalition of people trying to get things done”, many Republicans are “part of a cult where they’re still bending the knee to Donald Trump”, according to Forbes.

Mr Jeffries did not shed any light on what the next steps might be in seeking answers on the deadly attack on the US Capitol Building, which saw five people killed.

He told reporters that he expects “a lot of conversations about the best way to proceed” to unfold in the coming days.

According to CNN, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she is still “gathering input” before deciding what the next steps might be.

Last week, a bipartisan Senate report detailed security failures around the insurrection, as well as recommendations on how to address them.

The report was focused on failures from government and law enforcement, but did not delve into the motivations of the rioters who stormed the US Capitol Building and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.

Part of the reason for the narrow scope of the probe was to gain support from Republicans for the analysis to move forward.

However, Democrats, as well as some Republicans, believe that a bipartisan commission to investigate further into the matter is still necessary.

Senate Republicans who blocked legislation that would have allowed the creation of such a commission, however, have argued that another review of the 6 January incident would be redundant and partisan.