WASHINGTON ― House Republicans’ new committee investigating the “Weaponization of Government” against conservatives on Thursday featured testimony questioning the treatment of Donald Trump supporters who ransacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
In a lengthy statement laying out a vast left-wing conspiracy, committee witness Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) testified that while he condemned the violence that occurred at the Capitol, the Justice Department has been too hard on the rioters.
“The fervor in which the Biden Department of Justice pursues those protesters and rioters stands in stark contrast to the lack of interest in the summer of 2020 rioters,” Johnson said.
Advertisement
Federal prosecutors have filed charges against more than 950 people for their role in the Capitol riot, and as of September 2020 had charged more than 300 people for crimes connected to nationwide Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. Another 17,000 people were arrested by state and local police, according to one estimate.
But it’s not just that he thinks Trump supporters have gotten worse treatment from the Justice Department than Black Lives Matter protesters ― it’s that he thinks the Justice Department has been too rough, period.
“Serious questions regarding instances of unequal application of justice and violation of Jan. 6 defendants’ due process rights remain unanswered,” Johnson said. “SWAT team arrests and treatment of prisoners are legitimate concerns.”
Johnson also questioned...
By Daniel Dale, CNN Republicans face political risk from the spike in gasoline prices caused by the war President Donald Trump launched against Iran. Over the last two days, prominent Republicans ...