Former President Donald Trump, who remains on track to secure Republicans’ latest nomination for president this year after winning Iowa’s nominating contest on Monday, is continuing to characterize individuals detained in connection to the violent attack on the Capitol in early 2021 as “hostages.” On Monday on his account on Truth Social, he demanded their release.
“So interesting to watch anti-Israel protesters violently demonstrating at the While House, getting close to tearing down the fences that protect the President, and NOTHING is even mentioned about it in the LameStream Media, which is merely a subsidiary of the Democrat Party. No arrests, no nothing. Free the J6 Hostages, NOW!!!” Trump ranted online. (The claim that the demonstrations he’s referencing haven’t been even mentioned in mainstream media sources is, characteristically, false. Perhaps he should get news from some source other than Fox News broadcasts and demented, far-right blogs.)
Making no distinction among the Capitol rioters currently detained, Trump is seemingly applying his wishes for a swift release to even violent individuals who attacked police officers in brutal manners. A large number of such assaults were recorded, leaving lasting impacts for affected law enforcement personnel and consistently producing lengthy prison sentences for perpetrators. Capitol rioter Matthew Krol, for instance, was sentenced to more than four years in prison late last year after violently striking then-Officer Aquilino Gonell’s hand with a baton originating with police. An accused Capitol rioter recently found — again — in Florida, Jonathan Pollock, allegedly used a riot shield that also originated with police against an officer’s face and neck, among other assaults.
Former GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney recently condemned the description of January 6 detainees as “hostages.” “If you go and you look at what individuals have been convicted for who are incarcerated, you’ll find, you know, extensively, these are people who were involved in violence against police officers in the assault on the Capitol. And it is really – it’s disgraceful for Donald Trump to be saying what he’s saying,” she told CBS.
