Ron Johnson makes use of Senate listening to on Capitol riot to push conspiracy theories

One of many Republicans who pushed “the massive lie” concerning the 2020 election — particularly, that President Joe Biden’s victory was illegitimate — used the primary congressional listening to concerning the violent January 6 try and overthrow Donald Trump’s loss to amplify a fantastical conspiracy idea aimed toward exonerating Trump and his supporters from any accountability.

That senator — Ron Johnson of Wisconsin — used his questioning time throughout Tuesday’s Senate listening to to learn excerpts from a January 14 article revealed by the Federalist that argues “agents-provocateurs” and “pretend Trump protesters” have been behind the assault on the Capitol, reasonably than precise Trump supporters, as was the case.

“I believe these have been the those who most likely deliberate this,” mentioned Johnson, after studying from the article, invoking a conspiracy idea Tucker Carlson pushed on the Monday version of his Fox Information present.

However as anyone who has watched movies of the January 6 riot can attest, the mob that breached the Capitol in a riot that left 5 lifeless waved Trump flags and chanted issues like, “We wish Trump!”

And the rioters have been in Washington, DC, within the first place to attend a “Cease the Steal” rally Trump promoted closely, earlier than being riled up by Trump in a speech during which he invoked “preventing” greater than 20 occasions simply earlier than the occasions on the Capitol started.

Moreover, as observers of right-wing web boards took word of within the weeks earlier than January 6, the riot was clearly organized on-line by Trump supporters who weren’t making an attempt to cover what they hoped to attain.

Lastly, many insurrectionists arrested in reference to the riot have cited their help for Trump as the rationale they have been in Washington, DC, on January 6, saying issues like, “I’m right here to see what my President referred to as me to DC for.”

Regardless of all this proof, hardcore Trump supporters in Congress have repeatedly tried to shift blame for the riot onto others, impugning everybody from Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi to antifa.

Johnson has been one of many worst offenders on this regard. Throughout a Fox Information look earlier this month, he recommended Pelosi was one way or the other answerable for the riot as a result of as speaker of the Home she didn’t do extra to verify Capitol safety was sufficient.

Then simply two days in the past, Johnson was again on Fox Information lamenting enhanced safety measures on the Capitol, falsely claiming the concept some Trump supporters are “armed insurrectionists” couldn’t be “farther from the reality.” That remark acquired no pushback from host Maria Bartiromo, but it surely ignores the truth that the rationale the Capitol is militarized within the first place is the January 6 assault by Trump supporters on the legislative department, which on the time was within the technique of certifying Biden’s Electoral School win.

There was plenty of buck-passing throughout Tuesday’s listening to

Johnson wasn’t the one one who tried to shift blame throughout Tuesday’s listening to. Beneath questioning from Johnson, former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund mentioned he didn’t imagine the assault on the Capitol was foreseeable.

“A breach of the Capitol was not one thing anyone anticipated,” Sund mentioned.

However Sund is fallacious. Chatter on right-wing web boards within the weeks main as much as January 6 made clear that Trump supporters weren’t solely planning to assemble in DC however hoped to “storm authorities buildings” and “kill cops.” (Officer Brian Sicknick died after rioters breached the Capitol.)

Whereas Johnson indulged in elaborate conspiracy theories in an try and not solely exonerate Trump but in addition mitigate his personal accountability for pushing incendiary lies about election fraud, different Republicans who pushed the “large lie” — akin to Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) — used their questioning time on Tuesday to ask legislation enforcement officers detailed questions on what they knew and when forward of January 6.

To be clear, these are respectable questions. However coming from Hawley, they’re fairly cynical, since they conveniently overlook the broader context: If he and different MAGA-aligned Republicans didn’t promote the lie that the election was stolen from Trump within the first place, there won’t have been an riot on January 6.

Throughout her closing remarks, the co-chair of Tuesday’s listening to, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), pushed again on Johnson’s conspiracy idea.

“There’s clear settlement that this was a deliberate riot, and I believe most members right here very firmly agree with that,” she mentioned.

“It’s essential for the general public to know that,” Klobuchar continued. “This was deliberate, we now know, this was a deliberate riot. It concerned white supremacists. It concerned extremist teams.”