Republican Election Denier Cris Dush Has a Problem With Calling Jan. 6 Attack an Insurrection

During a Senate State Government Committee meeting, Dush ruled Democrat Amanda Cappelletti out of order for referring to the attack on the US Capitol as an insurrection, on the grounds that no one has yet specifically been charged with that offense.

During a Senate Committee meeting Monday, a Republican state senator ruled a Democratic colleague out of order for calling the events of Jan. 6, 2021 an insurrection.

While discussing a bill that proposes amending the Pennsylvania constitution to require the Office of Auditor General to routinely conduct election audits, Sen. Amanda Cappelletti (D-Montgomery) said that risk-limiting audits are already done after each election. She then referred to the post-election unrest ongoing in Brazil as well as the deadly attack on the United States Capitol, saying both were “insurrections” fueled by unfounded accusations of fraud.

Sen. Cris Dush (R-Jefferson), chair of the State Government Committee, ruled her out of order for using the word “insurrection.”

“Until somebody’s charged with it we won’t use that (term) here,” he said.

Cappelletti revised her comment, describing the incident as people having “stormed” and “attacked” the Capitol.

Dush played a significant role in amplifying former President Donald Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen, a baseless claim that ultimately prompted the Jan. 6 attack. He was one of 64 state Republicans to sign a letter asking the Pennsylvania congressional delegation to reject the state’s electoral votes on Jan. 6. Dush also co-sponsored a resolution disputing the 2020 election results and called on Gov. Tom Wolf to vacate the certification of presidential electors.

More than 950 people have been arrested and charged for their participation in the deadly attack on the Capitol, including 75 from Pennsylvania. Several of those arrested have been charged with “seditious conspiracy.” 

Five people died and dozens were seriously injured after a swarm of Donald Trump supporters — fresh from being told to “fight like hell” by the former president at a nearby “Stop the Steal” rally — descended upon the Capitol with the intent to upend democracy by any means necessary.