CNN
—
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday raised the possibility that the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was not a “true insurrection,” and those charged in connection with it. expressed concern about the “weaponization of the government” against To a riot.
“It is clear that many of the protesters on January 6th broke the law in what began as a protest but may have turned into a riot. This was done at the encouragement of President Trump. “Because of what happened, and the context of President Trump’s delusions that the election was stolen from him, many view this as an insurrection rather than an insurrection,” he said in a statement.
He continued: “I haven’t looked closely at the evidence, but reasonable people, including Trump opponents, say there is little evidence of a real insurrection.”
The statement inaccurately stated that none of the protesters were planning to overthrow the government, even though some of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were convicted of sedition. There is. He also reiterated the long-debunked claim that rioters were “not armed” when they attacked the Capitol, although Kennedy later said when asked for comment by CNN. He said he would withdraw this claim.
“My understanding that none of the rioters who invaded the Capitol on January 6th had firearms was incorrect,” he told CNN.
In a statement, President Kennedy called the Jan. 6 attack “one of the most polarizing topics in the political landscape,” and said in a lengthy statement that he “wanted to hear all sides” of the issue. . He denounced law-breaking protesters and President Trump’s “delusion that the election was stolen” and questioned whether “political objectives” led to the prosecution of the Jan. 6 protesters. did.
“Like many decent Americans, I am concerned that the momentum of the prosecution, long sentences, and harsh treatment of the J6 defendants may have been motivated by political objectives,” President Kennedy said in a statement. Stated. “It would fit into an alarming pattern of government agencies such as the Department of Justice, IRS, SEC, FBI being weaponized against political opponents.”
“You can oppose Donald Trump and everything he stands for, as I do, and still be upset about the government weaponizing it against him,” he continued. Ta.
His rhetoric, which glossed over the Jan. 6 attack, echoes some of the comments from Trump and other right-wing figures.
Reversing Kennedy’s claims that the incident was politically motivated, he said that while Trump was still president and his appointees were running the Justice Department, tough prosecutions of the Jan. 6 rioters were almost never pursued. It started immediately.
Additionally, prosecutors have exercised discretion in deciding who to prosecute. They have primarily focused on those who entered the Capitol itself. Thousands of Trump supporters who blatantly breached the Capitol grounds but did not set foot inside the building were caught on video, but so far have not been charged with any crime.
Trump was acquitted in the 2021 Senate trial, but a bipartisan majority in Congress ruled that January 6, during Trump’s second impeachment, was an “insurrection.”
In a statement, President Kennedy pledged to appoint an independent special counsel to investigate “whether prosecutorial discretion was abused for political purposes” in the January 6 incident.
“As President, I will appoint a special prosecutor who will be respected by all parties to investigate whether prosecutorial discretion was abused for political purposes in this case and will correct any wrongs found. “Without an impartial rule of law, there can be no true democracy or moral governance,” President Kennedy said.
In a bid to distinguish himself as an alternative to both candidates, Kennedy has sought to criticize the responses of Presidents Trump and Joe Biden, saying the Jan. 6 riots have led to partisan divisions in the country. did.
“Both establishment factions are using J6 to add fuel to the fires of division in America. Both sides claim that victory for their adversaries will mean the end of democracy. “Anything is justified. We risk destroying democracy to protect it,” President Kennedy said. “Rather than demonizing the opposition as an apocalyptic threat to democracy, we should focus on the issues and priorities of how they govern, and not their legitimate or dirty tricks.” Instead, let’s defeat them at the polls.”
The Democratic National Committee criticized President Kennedy’s statement, saying it “downplays the seriousness of January 6th.”
“After hours of negative press, RFK Jr. had hundreds of words for both sides of the January 6th riot. There’s not just one side to this,” DNC spokesman Matt Corridoni said.
Kennedy’s statement came after his campaign sent out a fundraising email earlier this week calling the Jan. 6 defendants “activists” who have been “deprived of their constitutional freedoms.”
On Thursday, Kennedy campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Speer told CNN that the language in the fundraising email “does not reflect the views of Mr. Kennedy,” adding that Mr. He said he believed those who “violated” “should be subject to appropriate criminal penalties.” or civil penalties. ”
President Kennedy has recently downplayed the risk to democracy posed by either candidate, telling CNN’s Erin Burnett on Monday that he doesn’t believe either candidate poses a real threat to democracy. But they have labeled Biden the candidate who poses the greater threat. Kennedy’s claims are based on the banning of some social media platforms under the Biden administration.
“Trying to overthrow (Trump) and overturn the election is clearly a threat to our democracy,” Kennedy said in a CNN interview on Monday. “But the question was, who is the more serious threat to democracy? And what I’m saying is…I’m not going to answer that question. But I, Erin, believe that the First Amendment is the most important, so you can argue that President Biden is.”
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Daniel Dale contributed to this report.
