GOP's Ron Johnson spreads lies about Jan. 6 at Capitol screening of new propaganda film

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) attempted to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 insurrection at a screening of a new documentary about the U.S. Capitol riot produced by a right-wing conspiracy outlet.

The Wisconsin Republican – who was recently called out by his state's governor, Tony Evers, for taking part in the scheme leading up to the insurrection – spoke Tuesday evening at the Capitol screening of "The Real Story of Jan. 6 Part 2: The Long Road Home," produced by the Epoch Times.

"We always say, 'To the victor go the spoils,'" Johnson said. "The victor writes the history, and unfortunately, in November 2020, Democrats had the full sweep. They had all the levers of power, and they wrote the history of Jan. 6."

Democrats did, in fact, keep control of the U.S. House in that election and regain the White House and a Senate majority, but they did not officially take hold of those levers of power until Jan. 3 for members of Congress, and President Joe Biden was inaugurated on Jan. 20 – two weeks after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to delay the certification of his election win.

"I was never afraid on Jan. 6," Johnson said, disputing claims that rioters were armed or dangerous.

In fact, court documents and video evidence show several rioters carried firearms during the siege, while dozens more carried knives, bats and other weapons, and members of the right-wing Oath Keepers stashed firearms and other weapons at a hotel in the Virginia suburbs.

"I knew who most of those people in the crowd were, not personally," Johnson said. "The people I saw attending Trump rallies and I knew the vast majority of people that came to Jan. 6 were patriots."

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Johnson then downplayed injuries suffered by police officers during the attack, which officially has been reported as 140 officers but likely includes many more, and one officer died of a stroke the following day and four others took their own lives shortly after the riot.

"They fervently love this country," Johnson said. "They respect law enforcement. They would never even contemplate committing a crime or engaging in acts of violence. The vast majority of people that came on Jan. 6 fitted that profile."

Pro-Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro, who pleaded guilty to Georgia charges related to the 2020 election, told investigators that Johnson coordinated with attorney Jim Troupis in Wisconsin to deliver false elector paperwork to then-vice president Mike Pence hours before the riot in an effort to keep Trump in office despite his election loss.

Pence refused to accept those documents, Chesebro told investigators.

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