Donald Trump says capital rioters ‘no guns’

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The statement: “No guns whatsoever” in the turmoil at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 – former President Donald Trump

In an interview with Fox News, Trump went on to describe the events on Jan. 6 by saying “people without guns walked down” to the Capitol, with the building’s doors open, and there was a “lovefest” between Capitol police and rebels.

PolitiFact Rating: False. Court records and news reports show that many rebels were armed, and many were charged with having a gun in the Capitol grounds or being stashed nearby while in Washington, DC In addition, the rioters were armed. except guns and used them during the attack.

Discussion

Court documents, video evidence and news coverage directly contradict Trump’s character in the riot.

Many of those involved in the attack were armed, and many had guns fired by police.

The event was far from a lovefest: Five people were killed, including a Capitol Police officer, and more than 140 officers were injured in the events of the day. Video evidence shows both policemen and rioters injured in the clashes. The rioters called for the execution of then Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Damage to the Capitol was estimated at $ 1.5 million and included ransacked offices, broken windows and doors, broken and stolen photography equipment, broken statues, murals and furniture.

PolitiFact is a project that examines reality to help you sort reality from fiction to politics. Truth-O-Meter ratings are determined by a panel of three editors. The burden of proof is on the speaker, and PolitiFact rates statements based on information known at the time the statement was made.

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‘YOU CAN’T STOP’: FBI timeline describes Texans’ roles in the Capitol siege

An examination of the case files of approximately 430 defendants arrested and charged in connection with their actions at the Capitol shows that some of the defendants were found by police to have brought guns with them to Capitol. Some were charged with possession of a gun on Capitol ground, while others were kept while in Washington.

They include:

Lonnie Coffman of Alabama: Police found several guns and firearms in Coffman’s possession. Coffman’s pickup, which he parked around the Capitol on the morning of Jan. 6, was loaded with ammunition along with a handgun, a rifle and a shotgun, each loaded, according to court documents. In addition, the truck contained hundreds of bullets, several ammunition feeding devices, a bow with bolts, machetes, camouflage smoke detectors, a stun gun and 11 Molotov cocktails.

Court records and surveillance video footage show Coffman, associated with militia groups, parked the vehicle near the Capitol at 9:15 a.m. that day. Documents say he got out of his pickup at 9:20 a.m., he joined a man who went straight to the Capitol building.

He was detained later that night as an unnamed woman drove him back to his truck. Police questioned Coffman and searched for him, finding two more handguns in his person. None of the weapons were registered, the documents promised.

Guy Reffitt of Texas: Reffitt was charged with carrying a handgun in the Capitol grounds. Court documents show that Reffitt, who was reported in court documents to be a member of the militia group Three Percenters, told his family he brought his gun and he and others “rushed to the Capitol. “

Christopher Michael Alberts of Maryland: Alberts brought his handgun to the Capitol grounds, according to the police report. An officer saw Alberts with a gun in his hip and alerted fellow officers. When Alberts attempted to flee, officers arrested him and recovered the loaded handgun along with a separate magazine.

The total number of people carrying guns with them that day may never be fully accounted for because most of those involved in the siege were not arrested on-site but tracked by law enforcement days, weeks and months. afterwards.

It is also important to note that the definition of “armed” is not legally limited to firearms – it refers to any weapon used for defense or offense and used as a means of protection. Other items used as weapons on Jan. 6 included bats, crutches, flagpoles, skateboards, fire extinguishers and chemical sprays.

Politifact reached out to Trump’s team to ask for evidence behind his statements but it was never heard.

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