Trump once called January 6 a “heinous attack.” Now he calls it a “day of love.”

WASHINGTON In the aftermath of the siege of the US Capitol by thousands of Donald Trump supporters who believed his lies about the 2020 election, with numerous attacks on police officers, the then-president tried to distance himself from the mob , claiming that “intruders” had “infiltrated the Capitol” during the “heinous attack” and “desecrated the seat of American democracy.”

Those who engaged in “acts of violence and destruction,” Trump said on January 7, 2021, “do not represent our country,” and those who broke the law, he said, “will pay.” .

Hours after Trump's comments, FBI special agents would make their first arrest during the Capitol siege, launching what would become the largest investigation in FBI history, all initially overseen by the Trump's own appointees. Trump's Department of Justice. In the 45 months since the attack, more than 1,500 people have been charged, prosecutors have secured convictions against more than 1,100 defendants, and more than 600 prison sentences ranging from a few days behind bars to 22 years federal prison for a Proud Boys leader. convicted of seditious conspiracy.

Now, as the Republican nominee for president in 2024, Trump, the self-proclaimed law-and-order candidate, has softened his stance on the Capitol attack, in which some rioters carried guns, pistols stun guns, flagpoles, bear spray and even explosive devices. while hundreds of them attacked police officers.

The latest example came Wednesday, during a forum hosted by Univision, where Trump called January 6 the “day of love.”

They almost loved me to death,” former Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell, whom Trump supporters repeatedly attacked on Jan. 6, 2021, told NBC News on Thursday. “I guess a lot of people hugged me and kissed me. I should be grateful, I guess, according to him, because I lost my career, because I lost my health, I lost my financial stability, my mental health paid the price. And this is the result of this “day of love”, because he continues to say that nothing happened.

“Are you serious? A day of love? A day of love where over 140 officers were injured, people lost their careers, people lost their lives?” Gonell added. “Democracy was in ruins because of what he did, because he refused to concede.”

Gonell and other officers who defended the Capitol listened to Trump's changing rhetoric on the attack. Trump summoned at least once to the live nightly vigil held in support of the Jan. 6 defendants outside the Washington prison. He organized fundraisers for the Jan. 6 defendants at his clubs and donated money himself. And he promised to pardon an unspecified number of convicted January 6 criminals. He even said he would “absolutely” consider pardoning all rioters, which would include rioters who were seen on video assaulting officers with a hockey stick, brass knuckles. gloves, a baseball bat, a huge Trump billboard, Trump flags, pieces of wood, crutches, fire extinguishers, bike racks, batons, a metal whip, office furniture, and pepper spray .

Even so, Trump's comments during the Univision forum on Wednesday stood out. In a striking comment, a phrase that may well find its way into a future court filing filed by special counsel Jack Smith in Trump's federal election interference case, he used the first-person pronoun ” us” to speak of the crowd, aligning with the crowd.

“There were no guns there,” Trump said (wrongly, as many supporters have been convicted and are serving prison sentences because they carried guns that day). “We didn't have weapons. The others had weapons, but we didn't have weapons. And when I say we, it was people who marched, it was a tiny percentage of the total, that no one sees and no one, no one shows.”

Trump did not say who he meant by “the others.” A Trump campaign spokesperson disputed the development of his January 6 speech.

President Trump was totally consistent: A record number of patriots came to his historic speech at the Ellipse and it was all love, spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.

Gonell said: “He no longer denies the violence of that day; he accepts it. Gonell noted that Trump moved from distancing himself from the mob to referring to its members again this year as “victims,” ​​”hostages,” “patriots” and “warriors.”

Some suggested that Trump's public comments in the aftermath of January 6 did not reflect his true feelings. First, in a video posted that day, he describes the rioters as very special. And in excerpts from a videotaped speech he released on Jan. 7 that were uncovered by the House committee on Jan. 6, Trump hesitated to support criminal consequences for the rioters.

To those who broke the law, you will pay. You don't represent our movement, you don't represent our country, and if you broke the law… he said before pausing. I can't say that. I haven't said it before, you will pay.

Trump's defense of the January 6 rioters did not occur in isolation. Republicans in Congress promoted conspiracy theories, suggesting that bad actors were undercover federal agents trying to frame Trump supporters and that members of the mob were just tourists. Trump's running mate, Yale-educated Sen. JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio, has repeatedly avoided explicitly saying that Trump lost the 2020 election.

In federal court, politicians' indulgence in conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and Jan. 6 has frustrated federal judges, who see the attack's broader impact on American democracy.

Last year, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, in sentencing a rioter who pressed a stun gun into an officer's neck, warned that the shadow of tyranny seen on Jan. 6 had not disappeared as election lies continued to be repeated and spread. It seems to work because with few exceptions, other people in the public eye are not willing to risk their own power or popularity by speaking out against him, she said.

Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, appointed to the bench by Republican President Ronald Reagan, said he was shocked by the way prominent political figures spoke about the Jan. 6 criminals, calling the remarks politicians of absurdity and warning that such rhetoric could presage other events. danger to our country.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos