Dozens of Democratic lawmakers in North Carolina’s state House of Representatives walked off the chamber floor in protest Monday night after Republicans seated Donnie Loftis, who has admitted to participating in the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol building.
Loftis, a Trump loyalist and 30-year combat veteran who now represents Gaston as a member of the state House, was nominated by county representatives to fill a vacancy that occurred due to a death of the previous lawmaker from that area. Earlier this year, Loftis resigned from chairing a board of directors for a local health care system after his social media posts describing business closures due to COVID-19 as “tyranny” became public knowledge.
Loftis has admitted that he was at the Capitol on the day of the attack, which was perpetrated by a mob of loyalists to former President Donald Trump — even stating in social media posts he has since deleted that it was his duty to be there that day. Of course, the continued claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election made by Trump and his followers are completely baseless.
Loftis has since claimed that he didn’t take part in any violent actions that day, saying he was merely “at the entrance” of the building “when they breached the door.” The Republican lawmaker also said he was gassed three times during the January 6 attack.
In October, Republicans in the legislature said they would approve Loftis’s appointment to the vacancy, with House Speaker Tim Moore (R) justifying this decision by claiming that the FBI never pursued Loftis for his involvement in the attack. State law does not require a new election to fill the position.
Rather than participate in the vote, which Republicans could do on their own due to having a majority in the chamber, more than 40 Democrats walked off the House floor in protest, leaving just six of their members in the room for the vote.
Most of the House Democratic caucus has walked out of session tonight ahead of the seating of new Rep. Donnie Loftis, who was at the Jan. 6 US Capitol attack. #ncga #ncpol pic.twitter.com/YiM3CINKCJ
— Travis Fain (@TravisFain) November 1, 2021
Democratic Party Chairwoman Bobbie Richardson condemned Republicans for appointing Loftis to the position.
“Today marks a new low for General Assembly Republicans because, instead of condemning those actions and rejecting the rhetoric that incites violence, they are welcoming a Capitol insurrection participant with open arms,” Richardson said in a statement. “The Republican Party hand-picked Loftis to join their ranks, further demonstrating how trending towards extremism is the future of the North Carolina Republican Party.”
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.