Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) Said in an interview with The Joe Pags that he did not feel threatened during the January 6 riots, but as Black Lives Matter protesters or members or Antifa stormed Congress instead of Trump . supporters, he would have been ” a little worried ‘.
Why it matters: Johnson, who promoted false allegations of widespread electoral fraud in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, has repeatedly tried to downplay the seriousness of the riot, which left five people dead.
What they say ‘Though thousands of people marched to the Capitol, trying to force people like me to vote the way they want me to vote, I knew it was people who loved this country, who truly respected law enforcement, would never do anything do to break the law, so I was not worried, ”Johnson said in the radio program on Thursday.
- “If the tables were turned – Joe, it could get me in trouble – if the tables were turned, and President Trump won the election and it was tens of thousands of protesters from Black Lives Matter and Antifa, I might have been a little worried. ”
Yes, but: Hundreds of people who marched on January 6 have meanwhile been arrested and charged with their actions during the uprising.
Johnson tells in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he made the remark because of the protests last summer that followed the death of George Floyd while in the custody of a Minneapolis police officer.
- “Therefore, I would have been more concerned,” Johnson said in a statement to the Journal Sentinel, adding that 25 people had died during Black Lives Matter protests over Floyd’s death.
- In the unprofitable project for armed conflict and event data, it was found that of the 25 people whose deaths were linked to protests or political unrest last week, nine were BLM protesters and two conservatives were killed after pro-Trump rallies.
The whole picture: Johnson said last month that the riot “does not appear to me to be an armed uprising” even though the Justice Department is asking at least 14 people to bring deadly weapons to the Capitol site.
- Police also seized a dozen guns and thousands of ammunition, though it is unknown how many firearms were brought into the Capitol, according to a NBC News report.