GOP Misuses "Insurrection" to Downplay Deadly Capitol Riot

Republicans have wrongly described disruptive but nonviolent protests at state capitols as insurrections to diminish the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Legal experts say "insurrection" refers to a violent uprising against authority, not nonviolent protests.
The rhetoric helps Republicans avoid acknowledging the Capitol attack was an assault on democracy.
A Montana lawmaker was silenced for encouraging supporters to speak out during a protest labeled an "insurrection" by Republicans.
Republicans have misused "insurrection" at least four times this year to describe nonviolent protests.