Former President Trump Continues to Spread Falsehoods About Jan. 6 Attack
At the presidential debate two weeks ago, Donald Trump lied uncontrollably about a great many things, but the Republican’s rhetoric about the Jan. 6 attack stood out for its detachment from reality. The former president claimed, for example, that there were a “small” number of rioters, which wasn’t true. He said the insurrectionists attacking the U.S. Capitol in his name were “ushered in” by police, which also wasn’t true. The presumptive GOP also said he offered 10,000 National Guard troops to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which wasn’t true, before claiming that Pelosi said, “I take full responsibility for January 6,” which is something the California Democrat never said.
In case that weren’t quite enough, at the same event, Trump said some of the imprisoned rioters are “so innocent,” which isn’t true; and is contradicted by the fact that many of the convicts pleaded guilty during their prosecutions. A New York Times report noted soon after that for many of the former president’s critics, Trump’s “embrace of Jan. 6 and his refusal to agree to unqualified acceptance of a democratic election” were worse than President Joe Biden’s unnerving performance on the same stage. “It’s a concerted effort to try to de-weaponize Jan. 6,” former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who served on the Jan. 6 committee, told the Times.
Two weeks later, Trump is still at it — as we were reminded overnight at the former president’s rally in Miami. Reading from his teleprompter, the GOP candidate told his followers: “[W]hen people who love our country protest on January 6 in Washington, they become hostages unfairly imprisoned for long periods of time. But fortunately, the Supreme Court has just ruled, and they should be out soon.” If you watch the clip, note that the creepy music was played at the campaign event; it was not added afterward to make the remarks sound more ridiculous.
Trump’s narcissistic lying poses a significant threat to democracy by eroding trust in institutions, spreading misinformation, and undermining the rule of law. His repeated falsehoods about the Jan. 6 attack and the subsequent legal proceedings not only distort reality but also sow confusion and division among the public, making it harder to hold accountable those responsible for the assault on democracy. [Source Citation: AP News – https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-fact-check-trump-biden-rioters-0b3406e02c86bd057e15c9d8c16ccd51]