Pete Hegseth Falsely Claimed Antifa Was Behind January 6, But Also Condemned ‘Pearl-Clutching’ Response to Riot
Pete Hegseth/Instagram
Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth simultaneously blamed far-left groups for the events of January 6, 2021 and justified Trump supporters’ actions in the days following the riot.
According to CNN’s KFile, Hegseth tried to blame Antifa for the riot during a conversation with Newt Gingrich just four days after it occurred.
“There are reports, you know, in the New York Post and elsewhere. And just from, you know, common sense, that Antifa folks took advantage of this to try to get to the front and try to agitate and create openings for themselves,” said Hegseth at the time, before adding that “They [Antifa] want chaos, ultimately.”
“I could even spot it. You can see the helmets where there’s a Donald Trump bumper sticker on the back, quickly put on it so they could look like they wanted to stop the steal. But what they really wanted to do was further the narrative,” he continued.
While Hegseth erroneously believed that Antifa played a key role in stirring up the violence, he absolved most Trump supporters of blame.
“The mindset of these people was not overtly radical; it wasn’t violent at all,” he told Gingrich. “In fact, if you break down the timeline, Newt, much of what was happening on Capitol Hill – the first incursions breaking through the barricades – happened while Donald Trump was still speaking.”
Hegseth went on to say he“didn’t like the knee-jerk, pearl-clutching response across the spectrum,” and that “I talked to the people on the mall, I’ve talked to ‘em a lot. Listen, they believe the election was stolen. They wish there were more recourses. They’ve watched what happens, they’ve seen stories be suppressed before – Hunter Biden.”
He continued:
I mean, the amazing extent to which the media has now taken to taking the official line of secretaries of states or governors and saying, “Well, this has been fact-checked and debunked because the government officials are telling us that it’s not true,”
When’s the last time that’s what the media was supposed to do – reflect and project back upon the populace what government officials are saying because it enhances their narrative? It’s unbelievable.
Hegseth’s promotion of Trump’s 2020 election conspiracy theories are just one item from his past imperiling his chances of serving as Trump’s defense secretary. He is also trying to assuage senators’ concerns about a sexual assault allegation and his drinking habits, among other issues.
Trump has suggested that GOP senators who oppose Hegseth or his other Cabinet nominees for “stupid reasons.”
