Politicians Who Justified The Capitol Insurrection

In his comments about the insurrection, Clyde said that “it was not an insurrection, and we cannot call it that and be truthful.” He added that the footage “showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes, taking videos and pictures…you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit.”

Hice claimed that the insurrectionists were the real victims on Jan. 6: “It was Trump supporters who lost their lives that day, not Trump supporters who were taking the lives of others.”

In an interview, Johnson said he didn’t believe the event was a violent insurrection. “To say there were thousands of armed insurrectionists breaching the Capitol intent on overthrowing the government is just simply false narrative,” he said. 

“By and large, it was peaceful protest, except for there were a number of people, basically agitators that whipped the crowd and breached the Capitol,” Johnson added. “That’s really the truth of what’s happening here.”

Gosar said the FBI’s attempts to locate and arrest insurrectionists are an act of “harassing peaceful patriots across the country.” He continued, saying, “Outright propaganda and lies are being used to unleash the national security state against law-abiding U.S. citizens, especially Trump voters.”

Norman implied that the rioters were not incited by the former president, saying, “I don’t know who did a poll to say that they were Trump supporters.”

Brooks also claimed with no evidence that the insurrectionists were not Trump supporters. “All may not be (and likely is not) what appears,” he tweeted. “Evidence growing that fascist ANTIFA orchestrated Capitol attack with clever mob control tactic.”

Greene called the insurrection “just a riot,” and proceeded to justify it, saying that “If you think about what our Declaration of Independence says, it says to overthrow tyrants.”

In a House floor speech after the insurrection, Gaetz said (with no evidence) that the rioters were actually left-wing activists: “They were masquerading as Trump supporters. And in fact, they were members of the violent terrorist group, Antifa.”

Massie acknowledges that the events of January 6 were not normal, but he refuses to label them an insurrection. “I think it was a mob,” he said. “They were protesting, and I don’t approve of the way they protested, but it wasn’t an insurrection.”