Illinois Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger criticized the recent comments made by Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson as “a rewrite of history”.
Last Thursday, Johnson said he would have been concerned during the January 6 Capitol uprising if the protesters had been associated with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa, rather than supporters of former President Donald Trump.
Speaking about insurrectionists who support Trump, Johnson told conservative podcaster Joe Pagliarulo: “I knew that these people love this country, that they really respect law enforcement, they would never do anything to break the law, so I was not worried.”
In an interview on Monday with CNN host Wolf Blitzer, Kinzinger said Johnson’s comments were “a rewrite of history”.
“I don’t know why people like Senator Johnson insist on going back and saying it really wasn’t a big deal,” said Kinzinger. “It is a rewrite of history that, frankly, will not smile well for him in the history of the time.”
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Kinzinger said he condemns both the January 6 uprising and the riots that coincided with the summer uprising for racial justice. However, he said the two were not comparable because the insurrection “was a threat to the institution of democracy”.
Asked whether he considered Johnson’s comment to be “racial”, the Illinois representative said Johnson’s comment had “a racial connotation”.
“It’s just tribalism,” continued Kinzinger. “Everyone is joining their tribes and what the senator seems to be saying is, ‘You know, if it’s my tribe that was attacking the Capitol, I felt good about it.'”
In a statement obtained by The hill Last Saturday, Johnson defended his comment about the BLM and Antifa protesters.
“Of the 7,750 protests last summer associated with the BLM and Antifa, 570 turned into violent unrest that killed 25 people and caused $ 1 – $ 2 billion in damage to property. That’s why I would have been more concerned,” said Johnson.
In a statement to Newsweek, Johnson’s communications director, Ben Voelkel, said the legislator repeatedly condemned the January 6 riots and those that perpetrated them, including in the aforementioned Pagliarulo interview.
Johnson’s statements about the insurrection have attracted notoriety and criticism as Congress continues to investigate the main actors in the riot and security breaches.
On February 15, Johnson said the incident “did not strike me as an armed uprising” due to a lack of weapons. On February 23, Johnson said in a speech at the Senate floor that “false supporters of Trump” and Antifa were present in the insurrection.
Johnson drew his claim about Trump’s false supporters from an unverified article by security analyst J. Michael Waller. Johnson admitted that Waller’s assessment “may be … flawed”, but he defended it by citing it in the interest of seeking all possible explanations.
Assistant FBI director Steven D’Antuono said “there is no indication” to support claims that Antifa protesters participated in the insurrection. Johnson himself said he did not believe that Antifa or Black Lives Matter were behind the insurrection. He also said that white supremacist groups were involved in pre-planning the riot.
Despite Johnson’s claim that pro-Trump rebels “really respect law enforcement” and “would never do anything to break the law”, more than 300 were arrested and accused of violating several laws during the 6 uprising of January.
About 140 policemen were injured during the insurrection, including one with a broken spine, a missing eye, missing fingers and some with brain damage.
Update (03/15/2020, 11:19 pm): This article has been updated to include a statement from Johnson’s office.