His. Ron Johnson
Ronald (Ron) Harold Johnson: Ashcroft refuses to run to replace Blunt in Missouri Senate GOP faces brain drain on retirement Wave of retirements in Senate puts GOP ranks in defense MORE (R-Wis.) He said in an interview this week that he did not feel insecure during the January 6 Capitol Uprising, but there could be if Black Lives Matter protesters and far-left activists “antifa “they would have manifested there, starting a new wave of criticism.
“I’ve also been criticized for making the comment on Jan. 6: I never felt threatened, because I didn’t,” Johnson said Thursday on “The Joe Pags Show,” referring to the insurgency that went on. try to stop the certification without success. of the results of the Electoral College.
“Even though those thousands of people marching on the Capitol tried to pressure people like me to vote the way they wanted them to vote, I knew that those people who love this country, who truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break the law, so I didn’t worry, ”he continued.
“So if the tables had been turned, Joe, that could mean problems. If the tables had been turned and President Trump
Donald Trump Pentagon takes heat to extend Guard time to capture Capitol funds to escape points in Trump-GOP cracks Trump rally organizer claims Alex Jones threatened to throw her off stage : report MORE he won the election and there were tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and antifa protesters, maybe he would have been a little worried. “
Johnson’s statements flew in front of a video showing pro-Trump riot police attacking police officers guarding the Capitol complex before the crowd overtook law enforcement and looted the building.
At least five people were killed in the riot, including a police officer. Two other officers who responded to the crowd died by suicide the following days and about 140 officers were injured.
The statement echoed other comments Republicans had made trying to equate the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6 with the Black Lives Matter protests that took place over the summer. While many of the demonstrations against the black police killings of Americans remained peaceful, some turned into looting and violence.
Johnson’s latest statements sparked a wave of recriminations, and critics called his equivalence between different groups racist.
“Senator Johnson’s statements are racist and unacceptable. There is nothing patriotic about storming the Capitol to try to annul the election and assassinate elected officials. Apparently, for Ron Johnson, simply being black is a greater offense than launching a violent insurrection. Ron Johnson is a disgrace to the United States Senate and the state of Wisconsin. He must resign immediately, “Jessica Floyd, president of the 21st Century Democratic PAC American Bridge superpac, said Friday.
“What, whites love this country and blacks don’t? That’s exactly what he says,” he told Senator LaTonya Johnson (D) of the state of Wisconsin, who is black, in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Johnson responded to criticism by pointing to the violence that resulted from some protests last summer.
“Of the 7,750 protests last summer associated with BLM and Antifa, 570 turned into violent riots that killed 25 people and caused material damage of $ 1 billion to $ 2 billion. That’s why I would have been more concerned.” , Johnson said in a statement obtained by The Hill.
The senator appeared to cite data from a report released by the Nonprofit Armed Conflict Events and Location Data Project in September. This report, which identified thousands of protests between May and August, found that more than 90% of the demonstrations were nonviolent.
“More than 10,100 of these (or almost 95%) involve peaceful protesters. Less than 570 (approximately 5%) involve protesters participating in violence,” the report states.
Criticism comes as Johnson ponders whether to run for re-election in 2022. He remains undecided, though he said last week that retiring is “probably my preference now.” His seat is expected to be hotly contested later President Biden
Joe Biden: Pentagon is taking heat to extend Guardian time at Capitol Booker to try to make the child tax credit expansion permanent. Sullivan says tariffs will not take center stage in talks with China MORE won Wisconsin nearly in November.
Update: 8:55 am