In a formal written statement on Friday, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeated the wildly inaccurate claim that the participants in the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol “carried no weapons” – and then, three hours later, said he was retracting the claim because he had learned he was incorrect.
The claim that all of the January 6 rioters were unarmed has been made repeatedly by former President Donald Trump – and repeatedly debunked. But Kennedy nonetheless deployed the claim in the Friday statement that his campaign said was intended to “clarify his views on the events of January 6, 2021” in the wake of his campaign’s controversial comments, in fundraising emails earlier this week, that appeared to downplay the actions of some of the rioters.
After CNN asked the campaign for comment on Kennedy’s use of the false “carried no weapons” claim, and CNN and others published articles that called the claim false, Kennedy sent another statement saying he was wrong.
“My understanding that none of the January 6 rioters who invaded the Capitol were carrying firearms was incorrect,” Kennedy said in the follow-up statement. He noted that “several” rioters have been convicted of carrying firearms at the Capitol, while “others assaulted Capitol police with pepper spray, bludgeons, and other makeshift weapons.” He said, “This behavior is inexcusable.”
Facts First: The claim that January 6 rioters did not carry any weapons is not even close to true, as video footage showed that very day and as numerous court cases have further proven. People who illegally breached Capitol grounds during the riot were armed with a wide variety of weapons, including guns, stun guns, knives, batons, baseball bats, flagpoles and chemical sprays. The Justice Department said in its most recent update on Capitol riot cases that 122 of the people who have been charged in connection to the riot “have been charged with entering a restricted area with a dangerous or deadly weapon.”
More at the link below...
CNN: Fact check: RFK Jr. repeats, and then retracts, long-debunked claim that January 6 rioters ‘carried no weapons’
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. retracts false statement that no J6 rioters carried weapons
'I have never minimized the seriousness of the riot or any crime committed on that day,' Kennedy told Raw Story.
www.rawstory.com
Trump said he knew Jan. 6 crowd members had weapons
Trump knew crowd at rally was armed yet demanded they be allowed to march
Trump knew the rioters were heavily armed, aide says
Told of armed rallygoers on Jan. 6, Trump called for relaxed security
Key WH aide says Trump knew Jan. 6 protesters had weapons
Why did it take RFK Jr. so long to learn this simple fact that has been widely reported? He has been wrong about many things! Apparently the Kennedy family is well aware of that because they have spoken out on several occasions. In fact, most if not all are voting for Biden. What do you think?
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