Republicans Murkowski, Hutchinson Slam RNC's Censure of Cheney, Kinzinger

Alaskan Rep. Lisa Murkowski and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson on Saturday spoke out against the Republican National Committee's (RNC) decision to censure Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.

The RNC voted to censure the two lawmakers on Friday over their opposition to former President Donald Trump and involvement with the House select committee to investigate the Capitol riot.

The censure resolution characterized the January 6 attack as "legitimate political discourse" and accused Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, and Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, of "participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse, and they are both utilizing their past professed political affiliation to mask Democrat abuse of prosecutorial power for partisan purposes."

However, not all Republicans agreed with the party's decision. Murkowski, who was one of seven senators who voted to impeach Trump after the riot, slammed the RNC for attempting to "legitimize" the violence that occurred that day.

"What happened on January 6, 2021 was an effort to overturn a lawful election resulting in violence and destruction at the Capitol. We must not legitimize those actions which resulted in loss of life and we must learn from that horrible event so history does not repeat itself," the Republican senator tweeted.

"As Americans we must acknowledge those tragic events, and we cannot allow a false narrative to be created. We cannot deny the truth—to suggest it was 'legitimate political discourse' is just wrong," she added.

In a similar statement, Hutchinson said Saturday that the censure resolution "undermines respect for the rule of law."

"The censure resolution by the RNC is wrong...and divides our party unnecessarily. I am grateful for those courageous dissenters in the RNC vote," he said, according to the Arkansas Times.

Cheney and Kinzinger, who have each been prominent critics of Trump and condemned his supporters for attempting to stop the election certification of Joe Biden, also hit back against the RNC. The two have repeatedly asserted that they do not regret their decision to investigate Trump's actions into the riot.

On Friday, Kinzinger shared an image from the riot, and sarcastically asked viewers to "select all squares with legitimate political discourse."

Cheney also shared a video online of the violent attack and wrote, "This was January 6th. This is not 'legitimate political discourse.'"

Other notable Republicans who disagreed with the RNC's censure include Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, former RNC Chair Michael Steele, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, and Utah Senator Mitt Romney.

Cheney and Kinzinger are a part of a team of bipartisan lawmakers investigating Trump and his allies' role in instigating the violent attack. The House select committee has so far issued dozens of subpoenas to former White House officials and Trump's family members in an effort to uncover more information into the day's events.

"I will continue to focus my efforts on standing for truth and working to fight the political matrix that's led us to where we find ourselves today," Kinzinger tweeted on Thursday.