One must-read delivered daily to your inbox

Speaker Johnson Called J6 Rioters Shameful “Criminals” Before Protecting Them from DOJ

 Member Newsletter
December 6, 2023 11:31 a.m.
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 5: U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) arrives for a news conference at the U.S. Capitol December 5, 2023 in Washington, DC. House Republicans were joined by Jewish college student... WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 5: U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) arrives for a news conference at the U.S. Capitol December 5, 2023 in Washington, DC. House Republicans were joined by Jewish college students who described their recent experiences with antisemitism on their campuses. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) MORE LESS

Eager to maintain the support of the far right of the House GOP caucus Speaker Mike Johnson recently ordered the release of internal House footage of the various rioters who stormed the Capitol complex on January 6th 2021 in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. But his transparency train hit a speed bump when he decided to blur the faces of the rioters and criminals who stormed the capitol in order to prevent their being, in Johnson’s words, “retaliated against and charged by the DOJ and have other concerns and problems.”

So Johnson says quite clearly and publicly that his office is obscuring the faces of Jan. 6th rioters in order to prevent law enforcement from holding them accountable for their crimes.

But Johnson wasn’t always so pro-January 6th rioter, or at least he hasn’t been consistently. He called the feral Trumpers who stormed the capitol shameless criminals, in fact.

Want to keep reading?

Join TPM and get The Backchannel member newsletter along with unlimited access to all TPM articles and member features.

I'm already subscribed

Not yet a TPM Member?

I'm already subscribed

One must-read from Josh Marshall delivered weekly to your inbox

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

One must-read from Josh Marshall delivered weekly to your inbox

Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: