The distance from the rally is in line with Republicans trying to avoid further discussion of the attack, which was carried out by Trump supporters, and the actions that led to the chaos, including those by Trump and GOP lawmakers who had encouraged the effort to overturn his election defeat.

Yet Republicans’ general silence on the merits of the rally shows how they are loath to risk alienating a base that remains loyal to Trump and increasingly believes the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was justified or overblown.

A poll released this week by the Public Religion Research Institute hints at the impetus behind the balancing act, finding that while 59 percent of all respondents blame white supremacist groups for the rampage — and 56 percent blame Trump — those numbers fall precipitously among Republicans, to 30 percent and 15 percent, respectively. In the eyes of 61 percent of GOP voters, in fact, liberal activists were behind the Jan. 6 attack — a narrative with no basis in fact.