Rep. Mike Garcia recently spoke to constituents of the 25th Congressional District in a virtual townhall as well as met with the editorial board of The Signal to discuss his position on a variety of issues. While speaking to constituents, Rep. Garcia tried to clarify his position regarding the challenge to the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania and Arizona.
“This wasn’t an attempt to change the outcome of the election,” said Garcia. According to VCStar.com, Garcia challenged the vote based on unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. In other words, Mike was fully on board with Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” efforts. Garcia’s assertion that his challenge to the vote in Pennsylvania and Arizona wasn’t to overturn the election, it was simply to challenge the process, which according to the head of Cyber Security for the Department of Homeland Security, Chris Krebs, a lifelong Republican appointed by Trump to oversee the election, the election was safe, secure and fair.
“My objection to the electoral votes of two states was not in an attempt to overturn the results of the election, it was to fulfill my duty to protect the rights of the men and women of California’s 25th District who elected me to serve them and stand up for their rights.” Mike’s explanation is dubious at best. In a press release, Rep. Garcia stated, “Americans have a right to free and fair elections. We must remember, the presidency belongs not to Congress, it belongs to the American people.” If Garcia truly believes his statement and wants to protect the men and women of the 25th District, he should support the Democratic legislation to protect the voting rights of all Americans. Rep. Garcia, stop Republican state legislatures from repressing people’s right to vote!
Another lie Rep. Garcia would have you believe is that the lack of bipartisanship in Congress is solely due to the Democrats marching in lockstep with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “The problem we (Republicans) see right now is it doesn’t matter if you do it. There’s no (Democrat) voting outside the confines of Pelosi’s order.”
While I agree that the Democrats are voting together, so are the Republicans! Mike forgets he voted with Kevin McCarthy 98% of the time, according to ProPublica. Rep. Garcia said he would vote for a $2,000 stimulus check for those in need yet he voted, as did every Republican in the House and Senate, against President Joe Biden’s Rescue Plan that included a $1,400 check. Now Mike would have us believe that the Republicans support a larger stimulus check. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell felt any stimulus was too much given all the COVID-19 relief spending performed under Trump. Moreover, McConnell vows to obstruct the Biden agenda, as he did during the Barack Obama era. There will be no Republican support for any Democratic proposals. Hence, Mike’s support for a $2,000 stimulus check is yet another lie. Bipartisanship is a two-way street.
The Republicans also want you to forget Jan. 6. The insurrectionists were directed by Trump to march to the Capitol and take back their country. Jenna Ryan, a Texas real estate agent who traveled to the Capitol on a private jet, now charged in connection with the deadly Jan. 6 riot, said, “I bought into a lie” from then-President Trump. The House voted to impeach Trump a second time for inciting the insurrection; however, Garcia stated, “There was no nexus to support the impeachment of the president for Jan. 6.” Rep. Liz Cheney, the third leading Republican in the House, voted for impeachment, as did six other Republican House members. The Republican elite led by Trump have sought to erode the norms of our democracy, sowing discourse among the “have and have nots,” creating a polarized society ripe for exploitation. Instead of holding Trump accountable for his irresponsible actions, Garcia voted in lockstep with McCarthy. Is supporting a president who would incite an insurrection the best way to protect the men and women of the 25th District?
Furthermore, when Garcia had the opportunity to hold Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene accountable for her anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that Jews were responsible for the California wildfires, Mike voted in support of Greene. Mike doesn’t stand up for the men and women of the 25th District when he supports Greene. Garcia ignores the fact that Greene fanned the flames of the Capitol insurrection by encouraging the big lie that Trump, and not Biden, won the election. How can we expect Garcia to stand up for the men and women of the 25th District when he supports the QAnon rantings of Greene?
I’m not surprised by Garcia’s positions that support the elitist Republican Party as it marches to suppress voting rights and the rights of ordinary citizens to gain power and control of local, state and the federal government. Garcia continues to support the Trump agenda, voting in lockstep with McCarthy and the Republican Party. Garcia isn’t standing up for the men and women of the 25th District!
What does surprise me is the lack of journalistic integrity exhibited by The Signal in their reporting of Garcia’s townhalls and meetings with the editorial board. The Signal should be challenging Garcia’s position and views instead of campaigning for him. His vote to decertify the election results as well as his vote against impeachment and his support for Greene went unchallenged. Does anyone support the truth or are we to believe Rudy Giuliani when he says, “Truth isn’t truth?”
Rudolph Fillinger
Valencia
