Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is still out here faithfully defending ex-President Donald Trump’s honor, and apparently part of that means pretending the deadly insurrection Trump incited was maybe not such a big deal after all.
During an interview on local radio station WISN on Monday, Johnson tried to paint the violence of the siege, which resulted in five deaths, as exaggerated.
“The fact of the matter is this didn’t seem like an armed insurrection to me. I mean armed — when you hear armed, don’t you think of firearms?” the senator asked. “Here’s the questions I would have liked to ask. How many firearms were confiscated? How many shots were fired?”
“I’m only aware of one, and I’ll defend that law enforcement officer for taking that shot,” he added, referring to a U.S. Capitol Police officer’s fatal shooting of one of the insurrectionists, Ashli Babbitt.
In fact, multiple individuals who’ve been arrested in connection to the siege have been charged with unlawful possession of firearms. One of those individuals allegedly had 11 Molotov cocktails stored in his van. Authorities found pipe bombs planted near the Democratic and Republican party headquarters.
Additionally, several members of the Oath Keepers militia group who were at the insurrection have been indicted on conspiracy charges.
And armed or not, videos of the attack show the insurrectionists using Trump flags and whatever items they could get their hands on to beat law enforcement officers while smashing their way into the Capitol building. Several of them chanted “Hang Pence!” after Trump attacked then-Vice President Mike Pence for not overturning the election results.
Johnson’s attempt to minimize the unquestionably violent insurrection was met with disbelief and outrage:
What planet does this person live on https://t.co/z1SJlYhJvJ
— Molly Jong-Fast? (@MollyJongFast) February 16, 2021
This is ridiculous revisionist history. Police stopped only a fraction of the violent mob on Jan. 6, but we still know guns, explosives, knives and all manner of makeshift weapons were present as rioters attacked police and forced entry to the Capitol. https://t.co/CH2wdxUXBF pic.twitter.com/A0g4vY3Rjg
— PolitiFact Wisconsin (@PolitiFactWisc) February 15, 2021
he's the dumbest bitch in the midwest!
— Erin treason mullet Ryan (@morninggloria) February 15, 2021
Did he think they were yelling "let's hang with Mike Pence?"
— Christian Schneider (@Schneider_CM) February 16, 2021
“This didn’t seem like a maritime disaster to me” – Ron Johnson, April 1912 https://t.co/J2I7bLQLwk
— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) February 16, 2021
It makes me sick to my stomach that officers like Eugene Goodman have to protect jackasses like this. https://t.co/nykHGDKVP2
— Rex Chapman?? (@RexChapman) February 16, 2021
what would he call it? A field trip?
— Type Two D with Jeremy Newberger (@jeremynewberger) February 15, 2021
Tell me why he wasn't out front to greet them, then?
— lou fisk walsh (@loufiskwalsh) February 15, 2021
This was nothing like Benghazi!
“didn’t seem like an armed insurrection to me…after all, didn’t they all have arms? Hold on, wait a sec. Nevermind. Why does play-doh taste salty?”
But Tamir Rice, a 12-year old with a toy gun, was armed enough for police to kill him.
Ron Johnson is a right wing extremist, a fascist. How else can you explain such a revolting and disturbing assessment of the events of 1/6.
As Wisconsin is a swing state, and polls show an overwhelming percent of Americans disturbed by the insurrection and holding Trump responsible, I just don’t see how he can win re-election there by tying himself ever more tightly to him.
ETA:
Mr. Johnson spent his Fourth of July in Moscow and knows exactly what he is doing.