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In a statement, Senator Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, praised what he called the heroic efforts of law enforcement officers who protected the Capitol and delivered a veiled dig at Trump.

Romney was one of seven Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in his historic second impeachment trial for his role in the insurrection.

We ignore the lessons of January 6 at our own peril, Romney said. Democracy is fragile; it cannot survive without leaders of integrity and character who care more about the strength of our Republic than about winning the next election.

Former vice president Dick Cheney, whose daughter Republican Representative Liz Cheney has led the House committee investigating the attack and been among the partys few outspoken critics of Trump, said the anniversary of the attack was an important historical event.

He told ABC that he was deeply disappointed we dont have better leadership in the Republican Party to restore the Constitution.

In a statement, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Jan. 6 was a dark day for Congress and our country, adding he was grateful as ever for the brave men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police who served our institution bravely for that day and every day since. In the statement, which did not name Trump, the Kentucky Republican criticized Washington Democrats who he said are trying to exploit this anniversary to advance partisan policy goals that long predated this event.

It is especially jaw-dropping to hear some Senate Democrats invoke the mobs attempt to disrupt our countrys norms, rules, and institutions as a justification to discard our norms, rules, and institutions themselves, the statement continued.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham took to Twitter to criticize Biden after his speech for his brazen politicization of January 6.

Graham used the opportunity to reference the United States chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in which 13 troops were killed in a suicide bombing at Kabuls airport as they attempted to evacuate American allies and Afghan citizens.

The statements issued on the anniversary of the riot marked a departure from the way some Republican members of Congress behaved in the hours following the attack, when they did not shy away from criticizing Trump and his role in inciting the violence. In the months since the riot, many Republican members of Congress have sought to rewrite the events of that day.

After order was restored at the Capitol, Graham notably took to the Senate floor to deliver a speech in which he said Trump bears responsibility for the attack, and he attempted to distance himself from the then-president.

Count me out, enough is enough, Graham said.

In the days following the insurrection, McConnell said on the Senate floor that the mob was fed lies, and that they were provoked by the president and other powerful people, and they tried to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of the first branch of the federal government, which they did not like.

In a speech in February, McConnell said Trump was morally responsible for the attack.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said during a press conference on Thursday that Jan. 6 is Christmas for the media and accused journalists based in Washington, D.C., and New York as being obsessed with the attack.

They are going to take this and milk this for anything they could to try to be able to smear anyone, whoever supported Donald Trump, DeSantis said.

See more reactions from Republican members of Congress here:

Amanda Kaufman can be reached at amanda.kaufman@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandakauf1.

Excerpt from:
Republicans reactions to Jan. 6 anniversary ranged from somber to flippant. Heres a look - The Boston Globe