Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), now a Fox News contributor, made a wildly inaccurate claim about the difference between conservative and progressive protests on Thursday.
Fox News’ Sean Hannity did a segment claiming “the left” defended violent riots in 2020, then brought in both Chaffetz and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to comment.
“When I see conservatives, Republicans, show up to protest, they bring an American flag,” Chaffetz said. “When these people show up to protest, they bring a gas mask because they’re going to actually knock some people and knock some heads and throw some things.”
He added:
“And the poor law enforcement officers that have to put up with this garbage? At least we support our law enforcement, they put their lives on the line, they shouldn’t have to deal with this garbage night after night after night.”
“Jason, that was so well said about law enforcement,” Bondi replied.
Chaffetz and Bondi ignored the brutal assault on law enforcement by right-wing protesters during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol carried out by supporters of Donald Trump.
Chaffetz was correct in that some brought flags ― however, some used their flagpoles to bludgeon police officers and break doors and windows.
And though he said conservatives carry American flags, at the Capitol riot, banners representing extremists, including white nationalists, as well as flags showing fealty to Trump and multiple Confederate battle flags were paraded around the grounds and inside the building.
Hannity noted that he has condemned both the 2020 protests and the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
But others at Fox News have taken a very different view, with Tucker Carlson using cherry-picked security footage to claim the attackers that day were “peaceful” and akin to “sightseers.”
Twitter users were quick to fact-check Chaffetz: