'Crocodile tears?': Internet mocks Vivek Ramaswamy as he celebrates ‘Entrapment Day’ after claiming he cried over Jan 6 Capitol attack

WASHINGTON, DC: Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has found himself at the center of controversy over diverging statements on the third anniversary of the January 6 Capitol insurrection. Ramaswamy's tweet, "Happy Entrapment Day," drew attention, leading critics to bring up his past comments that presented a starkly different perspective.

Policy expert Ed Tarnowski wasted no time in reminding Ramaswamy of an interview from January 27, 2021. Tarnowski quoted the candidate, who, at the time, emotionally conveyed, "This might be controversial to say, but I think that when I saw the disgrace that unfolded at the footsteps of the Capitol on Jan 6, I cried. I was in tears when I watched on television that day."

Vivek Ramaswamy slams 

Social media users were quick to cast doubt on the authenticity of Ramaswamy's emotional response during the Capitol attack.

"Crocodile tears?" one user asked on X.

"Just another con man," another wrote.

"There is no way he was in tears," a comment read. 

"Vivek is a snake oil salesman exemplified," someone else alleged.

"Another reason why he won't ever be President," another insisted.

Vivek Ramaswamy's 'truths' about the January 6 Capitol attack

Vivek Ramaswamy took to Twitter on January 6, unleashing a series of tweets presenting what he called "truths" aimed at justifying his perspective on the insurrection.

He began, “TRUTH #1: The real cause of Jan 6 was systematic & pervasive censorship and wrongdoing in the lead-up to the 2020 Presidential election — Covid, lockdowns, Antifa riots, Hunter Biden laptop, and irregularities in election conduct.”

The presidential hopeful's second claim was, "Capitol police fired rubber bullets & stun grenades into a peaceful crowd, yet later willingly allowed members of that crowd to enter the U.S. Capitol building — only to be later tracked down, arrested, and imprisoned.” 

Notably, entrepreneur Elon Musk joined the conversation, expressing skepticism as he replied to the post, "Doesn't make sense."

Ramaswamy, however, continued with his narrative. “TRUTH #3: Fmr Capitol Police Chief @ChiefSund requested National Guard support twice before Jan 6 – and was denied both times. Sund was begging for assistance for over 70 minutes before Nancy Pelosi’s Sergeant-at-Arms finally approved Sund’s request for support," he wrote

"(Little-known fact: New Jersey state police arrived to assist before the D.C. National Guard.),” he added.

Ramaswamy's tweets also delved into the role of Ray Epps, an individual caught on camera urging people to enter the Capitol building.

In one of his tweets, Ramaswamy stated, “TRUTH #6: Ray Epps, who was caught *on camera* telling people to go into the Capitol building, was placed on the FBI ‘Most Wanted’ list immediately after Jan 6, but then suddenly removed. Three years later, the U.S. government slapped Epps with a single ‘disorderly conduct’ charge (0-6 months in jail).”

For his ninth "truth," Ramaswamy alleged, "Pipe bombs were placed near the DNC & RNC headquarters on January 5, 2021, with many irregularities including Kamala Harris showing up at the DNC headquarters on the morning of Jan 6 – without Secret Service or any other law enforcement spotting the pipe bombs, only for both pipe bombs to be found later on Jan 6.”

He continued, “Yet strangely the government still hasn’t said a *peep* about the perpetrator – despite available surveillance footage of the pipe bomber (which has not been fully released). A CBS reporter recently exposed the DOJ’s notable silence on this investigation. What really happened?”

Vivek Ramaswamy's evolving stance

During a CNN town hall in Iowa on December 13, Ramaswamy made controversial statements, declaring the insurrection as "an inside job" and attributing the events to "government entrapment."

He conveyed a change in perspective, stating, "If you had told me three years ago…in any way that January 6 was an inside job, the subject of government entrapment, I would have told you that was crazy talk, fringe conspiracy-theory nonsense. I can tell you now, having gone somewhat deep into this, it’s not."

This wasn’t the only time Ramaswamy has tried to appeal to Trump’s base.

In August, he told Chuck Todd that he "would have done" things "very differently" on January 6, 2021, had he been vice president instead of Mike Pence, “I think that there was a historic opportunity that he missed to reunite this country in that window," as quoted by The Wrap.

Ramaswamy added, “In my capacity as president of the Senate, I would have led through that level of reform, then, on that condition, certified the election results, served it up to President Trump then, to sign that into law, and on January 7th, declared the reelection campaign pursuant to a free and fair election. I think that was a missed opportunity.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.