Pa. Republicans speak on Trump | Morning Newsletter

Good morning.

First: Here’s what Republicans, including Sen. Pat Toomey, have to say about the months-long effort to throw out President-elect Joe Biden’s win.

Then: Now that social media has taken more forceful measures against disinformation, the cries of bias are only getting louder.

And: We know more about consequences for the Philly cop who attended Trump’s Washington rally now.

— Ashley Hoffman (@_ashleyhoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

A number of Pa. Republican congressmen spent months of airtime throwing all their weight behind Trump’s claim of widespread fraud, procedural discrepancies, or shenanigans that tampered with the fair election running smoothly in plain sight.

It’s that false belief spread on the wings of conspiracy theorists that carried thousands of Trump supporters to Washington last week, and fueled the attack on the Capitol. The effort to disenfranchise Pennsylvania in the presidential election didn’t pan out. The claims — all of them falsehoods — were debunked, and swiftly. They were heard, reviewed in detail, and rejected in courts. What would Pa. Republicans say when asked about this historic coup? One of the Republicans we spoke to rejected any association between stoking doubt about the integrity of the election and the attack. In our story, he explains why he’s standing by Trump. Others, like Sen. Pat Toomey, accept there was “no significant evidence of fraud.”

Reporters Andrew Seidman and Jonathan Tamari have the story.

Does de-platforming the president of the United States or alt-right media do anything at this stage? At all? One thing it’s doing is feeding the feeling among some of his ardent supporters that the real story they believe is being covered up.

Twitter took Trump’s loudest megaphone away only recently. His account survived plenty worse before this, but the abrupt call came only after he incited an attack that left five dead. So how effective will this be at curbing all that conspiracy content that sent thousands to descend on the Capitol?

The bans are only making a number of Trump supporters we spoke to go harder on the idea that these powerful platforms are biased against them. In fact, the supporters with whom we spoke feel certain that their First Amendment rights are being “ripped away,” and that the election was corrupt, despite no evidence to support it. They found no shortage of hoax fuel on apps like Parler, which an expert says can be replaced in no time.

Here’s how some supporters feel the bans just back up their view: they’re being silenced.

If you know, you know. We’re into this sweet slice of life. Thanks for sharing, @madison.wilson.photography.

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“Those who doubt that the voices and actions of individuals can advance the cause of justice might recall that, thanks in part to the Voting Rights Act, a record number of Americans voted in 2020.” — Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at UPenn, writes that it’s the courts, the work of journalists, and the right to assembly that are preserving democracy.

Temple University’s newest football recruit is a 13-year-old who got signed because he had all the right stuff. Yes, really. He’ll be at practice with his fellow Owls.