Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/Gage Skidmore
In Donald Trump’s Republican Party, being in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, is far from a mark on a candidate’s record—it’s more like a credential.
Among GOP state lawmakers, plenty today can boast that they participated in Jan. 6 events. And boast they do.
Michigan state Rep. Angela Rigas described being on the Capitol grounds that day as a “highlight of my life.” David Eastman, an Alaska state representative, called it “an immense privilege” to be in Washington for Trump’s last ditch effort to stay in power. And for the true MAGA climbers, like Arizona state Sen. Anthony Kern, moving past police barricades at the Capitol and allegedly using campaign funds to attend the insurrection were far from career-ending scandals.