On Monday’s episode of The View, Whoopi Goldberg criticized former President Trump for his defense of the January 6 Capitol rioters.
Release Capitol Rioters?
“They broke the law, they went to jail, that’s how it works in this country,” Goldberg said.
Her comments were a direct response to Trump’s call for releasing those convicted, whom he termed “hostages” and claimed “have suffered enough.”
Prisoners or Hostages?
The co-host added, “They are not hostages, they are prisoners, and not prisoners of war because this country wasn’t at war until you showed up.”
“It’s a shame”
Goldberg then shifted the discussion to her co-hosts, seeking their views on Trump’s remarks about the attack. Alyssa Farah Griffin, who served as the White House Director of Strategic Communications during Trump’s presidency, reflected on her experience.
“I think it’s a shame and that is why I am engaging in the primary because I want to see Donald Trump stopped in his tracks,” she said.
A Threat to Democracy?
Griffin further noted that if Trump were to be victorious in the 2024 election, it “could spell, frankly, the last election in our lifetime.”
This statement comes in the context of the January 6 incident, where supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol during the certification of the 2020 election results.
Clash of Opinions
Both Joe Biden and Trump commented on the incident’s anniversary, offering starkly contrasting perspectives on the event that claimed five lives.
Biden’s Valley Forge Speech
Delivering his first major campaign speech of this election year near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, President Joe Biden was straightforward in his remarks about the former president’s actions post-2020 election.
“Trump exhausted every legal avenue available to him to overturn the election,” he stated. “Everyone. But the legal path just took Trump back to the truth: that I had won the election and he was a loser. Well, knowing how his mind works now, he had one act left. One desperate act available to him: the violence of Jan. 6.”
Trump’s “Lies” Led to Deaths
Biden’s speech, delivered one day before the three-year anniversary of the Capitol attack, coincided with Trump holding campaign rallies in Iowa. “Three years ago tomorrow we saw with our own eyes the violent mob storm the United States Capitol,” Biden recounted.
“Jill and I attended the funeral of police officers who died as a result of the events of that day. And because of Donald Trump’s lies, they died, because these lies brought a mob to Washington.”
Release the “Hostages”
Meanwhile, during the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot, Trump shifted focus to the rioters involved in the event who are currently imprisoned, many of whom either pled guilty or were convicted by jury. Referring to them as “hostages,” Trump urged Biden to release them from federal prison.
A Message to Biden
via Depositphotos.com
“They ought to release the J6 hostages. They’ve suffered,” Trump stated. “I call them hostages. Some people call them prisoners. I call them hostages. Release the J6 hostages Joe. Release them Joe. You can do it real easy, Joe.”
Trump’s Potential Pardons
While campaigning in Iowa Saturday, Trump has also hinted that he would grant pardons to those charged in connection with the riot if he were to return to the White House.
Rioters Acted “Patriotically and Peacefully”
Trump, currently facing a federal indictment related to his attempts to overturn his 2020 defeat to Biden, has been somewhat downplaying the riot carried out by his supporters.
Referring to his speech on January 6, Trump said, “When you talk about insurrection, what they’re doing, that’s the real deal. That’s the real deal. Not patriotically and peacefully — peacefully and patriotically.”
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