A trial is currently underway in Colorado over a lawsuit that aims to disqualify former President Donald Trump from appearing on that state's ballot under the auspices of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment and the allegation that Trump engaged in and supported the "insurrection" at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), an outspoken GOP critic of Trump, actually testified in that trial on Thursday in opposition to the lawsuit's goal of barring Trump from the ballot, namely by challenging the disputed Democratic portrayal of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot as an "insurrection," according to the Washington Examiner.
That testimony, ostensibly in support of Trump, is unlikely to curry any favor from the former president who, just one day earlier, had lambasted the congressman as a "weak and ineffective Super RINO" following Buck's announcement that he would not seek re-election next year.
According to The Hill, Rep. Buck testified remotely on Thursday on behalf of Trump campaign attorneys and first recounted his experience during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot as both peaceful protesters and violent rioters gained entry into the Capitol building while Congress was in the process of certifying the 2020 election results.
Buck proceeded to discuss the now-disbanded Democrat-dominated House Select Committee on Jan. 6 -- the findings of which have been used by the plaintiffs as evidence that Trump engaged in an "insurrection" -- and shared how he had wanted to be a member of that committee but had been blocked from joining it by then-House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
"I asked Kevin if I could get his permission to seek to serve on that committee because I thought it was important that witnesses were cross-examined and documents were challenged," he explained. "And Kevin told me that he did not want me serving on that committee, and he didn’t want any other Republicans serving on that committee."
Buck agreed with the assertion that the committee's final report was "incomplete" and only provided "one perspective" from the Democrats, and said, "There was a political purpose to that report, as there is with almost everything in Congress, and the political purpose was ultimately to win elections and to paint the one side in as bad a light as possible. And that’s why typically there is a minority report in an investigation like this."
"It’s my view that the people that would have been most challenging to the evidence and testimony were not seated, either by [former] Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi (D-CA) or Leader McCarthy, ultimately on the committee," the congressman added. "I think in order to be able to judge someone’s culpability you’ve got to be able to hear both sides of the story. And in this case, there was not another side."
Yet, while Rep. Buck has declined to label the Jan. 6 Capitol riot an "insurrection" and even seemingly testified in support of former President Trump in the ballot disqualification trial in Colorado, that seems unlikely to change the fact that both Buck and Trump clearly don't like each other.
The Colorado Sun reported Wednesday that Buck, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus who has served in Congress since winning a 2014 election, announced that he will not seek another term next year, and he made it abundantly clear that Trump and the former president's loyal allies in the House were the reason why.
"I have always been disappointed with our inability in Congress to deal with major issues and I’m also disappointed that the Republican Party continues to rely on this lie that the 2020 election was stolen," he said during an appearance on MSNBC. "If we’re going to solve some difficult problems we’ve got to deal with some very unpleasant lies."
"Our nation is on a collision course with reality. A steadfast commitment to truth, even uncomfortable truths, is the only way forward," he continued. "Too many Republican leaders are lying to America claiming that the 2020 election was stolen, describing Jan. 6 as an unguided tour of the Capitol, and asserting that the ensuing prosecutions are a weaponization of our justice system. These insidious narratives breed widespread cynicism and erode Americans' confidence in the rule of law."
The same day that Rep. Buck shared his plan to not run again next year, former President Trump posted to his Truth Social account, "Good news for the Country! Congressman Ken Buck of Colorado, a weak and ineffective Super RINO if there ever was one, announced today that he won’t be running again, which is a great thing for the Republican Party."
Referencing Buck's frequent appearances on left-leaning, Trump-hating cable news outlets, Trump added of the outgoing congressman, "He knew long ago he could never win against MAGA, so now he is, like some past and present, auditioning for a job at Fake News CNN, MSDNC, or some other Country-destroying Leftwing Outlet. They can have him, and watch their Ratings go down still further, if that’s even possible!"
