Rioting at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, was set up to intentionally harm then-President Donald Trump, a former Capitol Police officer claims in a new documentary.
‘Everybody Set Up’
“Everybody that was on the ground on J6 – police officers and demonstrators alike – were all set up,” Tarik Johnson says in the film, Punishment 2: The War on Truth.
January 6 Riots
Trump, having lost re-election to Joe Biden in the 2020 election and refusing to accept defeat, used social media to call on his supporters to protest the ballot result at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Biden was being confirmed the winner. Over 2,000 people turned up, many of whom stormed the Capitol buildings, and clashes with police and security officers left five people dead.
Trump Indictments
Trump has been indicted, in Georgia and at federal level, in connection with the events at the US Capitol. Georgia has specifically charged the former President with racketeering while Special Counsel Jack Smith says Trump tried to block the peaceful transfer of power and overturn the results of the election. Trump denies the charges.
‘Crazy to Me’
Johnson says in the documentary, which is available on video site Rumble, that he finds it hard to believe that Trump is being prosecuted over the Capitol rioting. “It’s crazy to me that Trump is going to take the fall for causing an insurrection,” he said.
Arrests and Jailings
More than 1,000 people were arrested at Capitol Hill, and many have since been given prison time by the courts for their roles in the event. A leader of the far-right Proud Boys group, Enrique Tarrio, was sentenced to 22 years for his part in helping orchestrate the insurrection.
Capitol Police ‘Held Back Intel’
Johnson claimed separately, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), that the then-Assistant Capitol Police Chief, Yogananda Pittman, knew what was going to happen on January 6 but “held back intel” to prevent the National Guard from supporting officers.
‘Begging for Help’
Johnson also said that as the chaotic events unfolded at the US Capitol, he was “begging for help on the radio” but no one came to his assistance. He said his “pleas were ignored on that day by the person in charge watching the events unfold on CCTV in the Command Center.” US Capitol Police, in a statement, denied Johnson’s allegation.
MAGA Cap
Johnson said that during the rioting at the US Capitol, he decided to wear a MAGA – Trump’s campaign slogan, Make America Great Again – cap to blend in with the crowd, as many protesters were wearing the political headgear.
“I figured that if I was wearing a MAGA hat, that people probably wouldn’t want to try to attack me,” he said in an interview on NPR
Trump’s Other Indictments
Trump, 77, has also been indicted for other alleged crimes, and in total is battling four indictments that carry 91 criminal charges and the prospect of decades of prison time if he’s found guilty. Two other indictments claim he mishandled classified documents and paid to cover up an alleged affair and falsified accounting to mask the payment. Trump has also denied these charges and says they were brought by Democrats trying to thwart his presidential aims.
Trump’s Presidential Ambition
Despite his many legal difficulties, Trump is hoping to return to the White House in the presidential election this November. He is the frontrunner for the Republican Party nomination following primaries and caucuses that get underway in the coming weeks. The former President has an approximate 50-point lead in national polling over GOP rivals including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.
Trump and Biden for 2024?
If Trump does become the Republican candidate for 2024, he will most likely be up against President Biden, who at 81 is seeking a second term in office. Biden is leading an almost empty field of Democratic challengers, by a margin of almost 70 percent. If both men do become their parties’ choices, the 2024 election would effectively be a replay of the contentious 2020 vote.
Age Concerns
Voters, however, would prefer younger candidates for the 2024 election, with successive polls showing the majority of Republican and Democratic voters believe both Trump and Biden are too old to run again, yet alone take on the task of running the country for another four years – what is considered to be one of the toughest jobs in the world.
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