The episode, Bush said, “undermines the rule of law and the ability to express itself peacefully in the public square.”
“This was an expression that was not peaceful,” he added.
“I am shocked by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and the lack of respect shown today by our institutions, our traditions and our law enforcement,” he said. “The violent attack on the Capitol – and the interruption of a constitutionally ordered Congress meeting – was undertaken by people whose passions were ignited by lies and false hopes.”
The aggression cases are some of the most serious among more than 300 people arrested on charges stemming from the Capitol riot, which left five people dead, including a United States Capitol police officer, and injured more than 100 police officers.
Asked directly during the interview whether the election was stolen, Bush replied, “No.”
The former president has remained largely out of politics since leaving office in January 2009. He was only an occasional presence in the campaign in 2016, when his brother – former Florida governor Jeb Bush – ran against the then candidate Donald Trump and others in the Republican presidential primaries.
In 2017, Bush delivered a speech in New York condemning fanaticism and white supremacy, while endorsing policies that went against those supported by Trump.
“Our identity as a nation, unlike other nations, is not determined by geography or ethnicity, soil or blood. … This means that people of all races, religions, ethnicities can be full and equally American,” he said. he during comments at the George W. Bush Institute in New York. “It means that prejudice and white supremacy, in any form, is blasphemy against the American creed.”
He added that “prejudice seems encouraged”, although he did not explain why.