6 times politicians including Donald Trump defended jailed Jan 6 rioters
6 times politicians defended Jan 6 rioters as RFK Jr does a u-turn on calling them 'activists’
Independent presidential contender, Robert F Kennedy Jr, called the defendants who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, "activists" in an email he sent out on April 4. But his staff quickly expressed regret and called it a mistake. The emails said that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is a "political prisoner" and that he and the Jan 6 rioters were the victims of a "outrageous miscarriage of justice." But this isn't the first time a politician has spoken up for the Jan 6 insurrectionists. Let's examine six instances in which politicians, including Donald Trump, supported the jailed rioters.
1. RFK Jr calls Jan 6 rioters 'activists'
A bombshell email sent out by RFK on April 4 read, "Rarely do opposites attract, especially in Washington. Yet regarding the case of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who is facing extradition to the US, both hard-right Marjorie Taylor Green and hard-left Ilhan Omar Agree: We Must Free Assange Now! The Brits want to make sure our government doesn’t kill Assange. This is the reality that every American Citizen faces – from Ed Snowden to Julian Assange to the J6 activists sitting in a Washington DC jail cell stripped of their Constitutional liberties."
2. Elise Stefanik labels Jan 6 rioters as 'hostages'
On January 7, 2024, Republican Representative Elise Stefanik called the people serving jail sentences for their participation in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol as "hostages." She said during an interview with NBC’s 'Meet the Press', "I have concerns about the treatment of January 6 hostages. I have concerns, we have a role in Congress of oversight over our treatment of prisoners, and I believe we’re seeing the weaponization of the federal government against not just President Trump, but we’re seeing it against conservatives."
3. Donald Trump too calls Jan 6 rioters 'hostages'
Former President Donald Trump called the Jan 6 rioters as "hostages" and also urged President Biden to free them. He said, "They ought to release the J6 hostages. They’ve suffered. I call them hostages. Some people call them prisoners. I call them hostages. Release the J6 hostages Joe. Release them Joe. You can do it real easy, Joe."
4. Trump salutes Jan 6 'hostages'
At a rally in Dayton, Ohio, on March 16, 2024, former president Donald Trump gave a salute to the Jan 6 rioters. While in Ohio for a campaign appearance at the Buckeye Values PAC event, Trump expressed his gratitude and admiration for them. An announcer remarked, "Please rise for the horribly and unfairly treated January 6 hostages." After that, Trump saluted, and when a rendition of the National Anthem, 'J6 Hostages' Song', began to play, everyone in the audience stood. The J6 Prison Choir's song 'Justice for All' incorporates Trump's voice repeating the oath of allegiance.
5. Vivek Ramaswamy says he'll pardon all Jan 6 rioters
On Januray 7, 2024, entrepreneur and politician Vivek Ramaswamy posted on X, formerly Twitter, that read, "TRUTH #10: I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I will pardon *all* Americans who were targets of politicized federal prosecutions & those who were denied due process on Day 1 when I take office – including all peaceful Jan 6 protesters & those who were denied their constitutional due process rights, with an individual case-by-case review, including of those who pled guilty in absence of full information."
6. Lauren Boebert pledges to fight for Jan 6 rioters
On the third anniversary of the January 6 riot, Representative Lauren Boebert pledged to "fight" for the imprisoned Capitol rioters. She posted on X, "On the third anniversary of January 6, may we never forget the way that Joe Biden has treated and is still treating the political prisoners from that day. Our country cannot claim a moral high ground any longer when it comes to political prosecutions and political prisoners due to what has stemmed from that day. I will fight for justice to be restored to America and for these wrongs to be made right!"
