What Every House Speaker Candidate Has Said About Jan. 6 Riot

The ongoing furor surrounding the GOP's attempt to elect a new House speaker looks set to continue as nine Republicans put themselves forward as candidates for the role. All but two voted against certifying the result of President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory in Congress on January 6, 2021.

On Friday, Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan pulled out of the race to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker after failing on three occasions to get enough support from his own party to get the 217 majority votes needed on the House floor.

A candidate forum is expected to be held on Monday evening where the nine candidates will attempt to garner support from their colleagues.

It is far from clear if any of the candidates will be able to get the almost unanimous support from GOP lawmakers in the lower chamber needed to reach the required votes, potentially leaving the House in limbo for the foreseeable future, nearly three weeks since McCarthy's historic ousting.

Below, Newsweek has compiled what each of the nine GOP speaker candidates has said about the Capitol riot as they seek to get elected to the position which is second in line to the presidency after the vice president.

Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota

Emmer, the Majority Whip of the House of Representatives, is the highest-ranking Republican to put themself forward as new speaker and one of two candidates who did not vote against certifying the 2020 election results.

In a statement after the vote, which continued after Donald Trump's supporters had stormed the Capitol, Emmer condemned the attack, while dismissing suggestions lawmakers had the constitutional power to overturn the election results.

"Today's events in Washington were an unacceptable display of violence that runs counter to everything we stand for as a country," Emmer said.

"There is no excuse for reasonable debate and discourse to be replaced by destruction and chaos. Regardless of whether it's in the halls of Congress or in our communities, we must return to a place where we can engage one another with respect, regardless of our political views."

Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia

Scott is the second Republican candidate for speaker who voted to certify Biden's election victory.

In a statement regarding the January 6 attack, Scott described the "violence and destruction" seen at the Capitol as "disgraceful."

"And it is tragic that a woman lost her life and others died from secondary causes. The criticism of the U.S. Capitol Police is also disgraceful, and it is my understanding that more than 50 Capitol Police were injured," Scott said.

"As I stated in a letter to House Leadership on Tuesday, Congress does not have the Constitutional authority to overturn a state's electoral votes—nor does the vice president—and I believe my decision to support the Electoral College fulfills my sworn oath to the Constitution."

Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma

Hern, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, condemned the January 6 attack as a "sad day in our nation's history," while still stating an investigation was needed into the dismissed claims of widespread voter fraud at the last presidential election.

"Despite the disruptive and dangerous acts of criminal rioters, I will not back down," Hern said in a statement the day after the riot.

"The actions of those bad actors do not change the facts and questions surrounding the 2020 presidential election. I have a duty to stand firm with the millions of Americans across the country who share deep and legitimate concerns about the integrity of our election system and the unconstitutional changes to the election laws in certain states during the presidential election."

Rep. Bryon Donalds of Florida

Donalds received 20 votes from House Republicans in January in two ballots during McCarthy's lengthy election bid to become speaker, as well as a handful during Jordan's three ballots.

On the morning of January 6, Donalds posted a video to social media confirming he would be voting to object to the certification of the 2020 election results. In a statement after the attack, Donalds said his plan "screeched to a halt when lawless vigilantes wreaked havoc" at the Capitol.

"The tragedy that occurred today tainted the intentions of millions of lawful citizens," Donalds said. The Florida representative went on to vote against certifying the election results when Congress resumed its work.

Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama

In a statement one week after the January 6 attack, Palmer, chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, described the violence as "one of the darkest days I've experienced during my time in Congress," but rejected the need to impeach Trump for allegedly inciting the attack.

"I strongly condemn the attack on the Capitol last week. There is no excuse for it, and I hope everyone who took any part will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Palmer said.

"But I do not believe an impeachment is beneficial to our country at this difficult moment. In short, this move will only encourage deeper division and bitterness on all sides at a time when we desperately need to unify."

Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana

Johnson, vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, voted to object to the 2020 election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania.

In February 2022, Johnson rejected the Republican National Committee's (RNC) suggestion that the January 6 attack amounted to "legitimate political discourse," a phrase it used in its resolution to censure then GOP Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Illinois' Adam Kinzinger.

"I think it was inartfully [sic] worded. I think what the RNC was trying to say is there is obviously political discourse that goes on every day and went on January 6, but violence clearly is not. That is clearly a different category," Johnson told KNOE.

"I think the terms got conflated, and it caused a big political scuffle. Clearly, we have no tolerance whatsoever for the people that broke the law on January 6 to breach the Capitol and do damage to the people's House."

Rep. Jack Bergman of Michigan

The U.S. Marine veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee is one of the lesser-known House Republicans who have announced their bid for speakership.

After voting to reject Arizona's and Pennsylvania's election results, Bergman called those who stormed the Capitol and attacked police officers on January 6 as "a disgrace to our republic."

"Those who broke the law and participated in this effort should receive maximum punishment. These actions undermine our very foundation—I didn't fight for our country for 40 years to see us devolve into settling political disputes by violence and intimidation," Bergman said.

Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas

Sessions has frequently said he does not regret voting to reject the 2020 election results, and spoke out against the launching of the House Select Committee to investigate the January 6 attack.

In an interview with ABC News on the one-year anniversary of the Capitol riot, Sessions condemned the violence carried out by Trump supporters.

"There's no question in my mind that the people who participated in this were criminals. There's no question in my mind that people also who were there did not walk into the building to destroy it," Sessions said.

"Criminal elements that were at the leadership of this are the people who battled our brave police, who came in and stormed the doors. Those are the criminals, and I think the Department of Justice has those people."

Rep. Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania

In a statement confirming that he voted to object to the certification of Pennsylvania's results, Meuser said: "A day that was intended to debate the importance of election integrity and the rule of law tragically became a day that will be a black mark on our nation's history. Nevertheless, the work of this House must go on, as America will go on.

"We must all sincerely thank the Capitol Police and Metro Police for their selfless actions today, putting their safety and lives on the line to protect this House. The lawlessness and violence of today must be condemned, just as all violent protests must be condemned."