Maddow Blog-The Jan. 6 attack gets in the way of White House talking points (again)

[LetMyPeopleVote]

The Trump administration’s arguments are routinely rooted in the idea that Jan. 6 either didn’t happen or it’s been forgotten, which is ridiculous.

The White House’s arguments are too often rooted in the idea that Jan. 6 either didn’t happen or has been forgotten.

Take yesterday’s pitch on the DC power-grab, for example. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-08-12T15:14:53.528Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/jan-6-attack-gets-way-white-house-talking-points-rcna224494

As part of the rollout of his radical new policy, the president suggested he was standing with law enforcement.

"You knock the hell out of them. It's the only language they understand ... you spit and we hit. And they get hit real hard ... now they are allowed to do whatever they want" -- Trump on the police response to crime in DC

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-08-11T14:50:56.398Z

.....There was, however, a rather obvious problem with Trump’s chest-thumping rhetoric: For all of his apparent concerns for officers, the president maintained very different standards when it came to Jan. 6 rioters, many of whom did far more than just spit on police officers during violent clashes at the Capitol, but who nevertheless received presidential pardons from the Republican just hours after his second inaugural.

Indeed, Trump’s Justice Department recently hired a Jan. 6 rioter who was literally filmed urging his fellow insurrectionists to “kill” police officers. After this news came to public light, Trump’s DOJ, instead of firing the guy, said about the man who advocated deadly violence against cops, “Jared Wise is a valued member of the Justice Department and we appreciate his contributions to our team.”

Trump: "If you so much as touch or even think about destroying a statue or monument in Washington DC you go to jail for 10 years."

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-08-11T15:21:21.776Z

.....Putting aside the simple fact that Trump can’t simply dictate criminal punishments on the fly, many were also quick to note that the Republican adopted very different standards after Jan. 6 rioters vandalized the U.S. Capitol and did millions of dollars in damage in the process — money the Trump administration doesn’t want the rioters to pay.

It’s striking how frequently this comes up. About a month ago during a briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared from her podium, “This administration wants anyone who has ever committed a crime to be held accountable.”

That certainly sounded nice, but it wasn’t long before observers took note of the inconvenient fact that Trump keeps pardoning criminals — including violent felons who attacked police officers on Jan. 6 — making sure they aren’t held accountable.....

The bottom line is simple: The Trump administration’s talking points are routinely rooted in the idea that Jan. 6 either didn’t happen or it’s been forgotten, which is every bit as ridiculous as it sounds.

[tanyev]

1. Let's start with the basic fact that the then President of the United States watched live news coverage

of a violent mob storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and did not one damn thing as Commander in Chief to try and stop it. Sat and watched for several hours, hoping the violent mob—HIS violent mob—would prevail.