Robert Kennedy Jr. questions whether the Capitol attack was a ‘real insurrection’/Mario Tama/Getty Images
2024.04.06 Sat posted at 18:00 JST
(CNN) Robert Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent candidate for the US presidential election in November, said on the 5th that the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 may not have been a “real insurrection”. It pointed out. He then expressed his concern about the “weaponization of the government” against those charged with crimes related to the riot.
“It is pretty clear that many of those who protested on January 6th broke the law,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Because it happened at President Trump’s call and because of his belief that the election was stolen, many people viewed it as an insurrection rather than a riot.” .
“While I have not examined the evidence in detail, I have heard from reasonable people, including those who oppose Mr. Trump, that there is little evidence that this was a true insurrection,” he said. .
The statement said that none of the protesters were planning to overthrow the government, but this is not accurate. Members of the far-right groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers have been convicted of inciting insurrection. The statement also said the rioters who stormed the Capitol “were not carrying weapons,” which has long been known to be false. When asked for comment later by CNN, Kennedy retracted that part, saying it was “not accurate.”
In a lengthy statement, Kennedy called the attack on the Capitol “one of the most divisive topics in our current political climate.” He acknowledged that he wanted to “hear voices from all sides.” He condemned the law-breaking mob and Trump’s belief that the election was stolen, but questioned whether the crackdown on protesters was being carried out for “political purposes.” .
“Like many reasonable Americans, I am concerned that political motives may have been the motive,” he said. “It would also fit into a disturbing pattern of weaponization of government agencies, where the Department of Justice, Internal Revenue Service, Securities and Exchange Commission, FBI, and others are used as weapons against political opponents.”
Kennedy’s comments about downplaying the reality of the attack on the U.S. Capitol overlap with comments made by Trump and other right-wing figures.
In a statement, Kennedy promised that if he becomes president, he will appoint an independent special investigator to investigate whether prosecutors abused their discretion for political purposes during the Capitol attack trial.
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2024-04-06 09:00:00
