GOP Senator Ron Johnson lamented on being criticized for saying he wasn’t afraid of the rioters on January 6 at the capitol because he considered them patriots, but would have had they been BLM protestors or others he considers far-left.
“Even though those thousands of people were marching on the Capitol were trying to pressure people like me to vote the way they wanted me to vote, I knew those were people that love this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break the law, so I wasn’t concerned,” he continued.
“Had the tables been turned, Joe, this could mean trouble. Had the tables been turned and [former] President Trump won the election and those were tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and antifa protesters, I might have been a little concerned,” he added.
Johnson forgets that his “people who love the country and respect the law” attacked and injured officers, and the deaths of five individuals.
The statement echoed other comments Republicans had made trying to equate the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6 with Black Lives Matter protests that occurred over the summer.
Johnson’s latest remarks set off a wave of recriminations, with critics calling his equivalence between the different groups racist.
“Senator Johnson’s remarks are racist and unacceptable. There is nothing patriotic about storming the Capitol to attempt to overturn an election and murder elected officials. Apparently for Ron Johnson, simply being Black is a bigger offense than launching a violent insurrection. Ron Johnson is an embarrassment to the United States Senate and the state of Wisconsin. He needs to resign immediately,” Jessica Floyd, president of Democratic super PAC American Bridge 21st Century, said in a statement Friday.