Sen. Ron Johnson Downplays the Capitol Attack: ‘Didn’t Seem Like an Armed Insurrection to Me’

A prominent senator is downplaying the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol — objecting to the media’s characterization of the riots as an “armed insurrection.”

Appearing on Milwaukee radio station WISN, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) condemned the attack, but said he does not view it as an armed insurrection.

“The fact of the matter is, this didn’t seem like an armed insurrection, to me,” Johnson said. “When you hear of armed, don’t you think of firearms? Here’s the question I would’ve liked to ask [at former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial]. How many firearms were confiscated? I’m only aware of one.”

Johnson added, “If that was a planned armed insurrection, you really have a bunch of idiots.”

Federal prosecutors indicate that the rioters brought a host of guns and explosives to the Capitol on Jan. 6. Five people died in the attack and and according to the Capitol police chief, more than 140 police officers were injured.

Johnson went on say that he didn’t grasp the scope of the incident watching it play out live on TV — and that while he now grasps the severity of the attack, it still does not meet his definition of armed insurrection.

“I’m sitting back in my office watching video of the armed insurrectionists staying within the lines inside the Capitol,” Johnson said. “They’re not even venturing outside of the roped areas. I’m seeing a bunch of people milling about. It wasn’t ’til I really saw the video in the trial that you really saw what was happening, and how officers got injured.”

Johnson also invoked the death of Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick. The officer was originally reported to have died after being struck with a fire extinguisher, but the true cause of death is now unclear.

Listen above, via WISN.