Most Republican lawmakers were dismayed by the actions of Donald Trump's supporters on January 6th, 2021. And several of them were willing to say just that in the days after the event. But due to Donald Trump's continued power over the party, these lawmakers have to tell a different story.
Arkansas senator Tom Cotton appeared on ABC this weekend and was asked about the insurrection. The Trump loyalist was called out after he desperately attempted to paint the Capitol stormers as happy wanderers.
Host Jon Karl said of how Trump has described the insurrectionists, "And he called them hostages. So you agree these are hostages?"
"Some of them have been held in pre-trial detention longer than the sentences for the crimes with which they are charged," Cotton answered. "For people who just wandered into the Capitol, they thought it was open or was on the grounds."
Karl shot back, "I mean, that wasn't like wandering," Karl explained. This wasn't a tourist visit. People who were involved in that riot, who assaulted police officers, or who defaced and damaged public property should face the legal consequences. Isn't it odd that the Republican nominee doesn't agree with that?"
Watch a clip of the segment below, courtesy of ABC: