Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) left critics scratching their heads after he argued that Donald Trump, a convicted felon who inspired a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, stands with police and against criminals.
“Donald Trump stands with the people and the police, our men and women in blue, not with the criminals and rioters,” the House majority whip said from the stage at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday while attacking Vice President Kamala Harris for having supported Black Lives Matter protesters.
The irony was not lost on critics and others on social media.
“21 members of your caucus voted against giving the Capitol Police the congressional gold medal for their efforts on Jan 6th,” wrote Harry Dunn, a former Capitol Police officer who helped defend the building against pro-Trump rioters during the 2021 attack.
“The former president also calls the people who beat law enforcement ‘patriots,’” he added.
Emmer’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.
More than 1,400 people have been charged in connection to the deadly Capitol riot, during which about 140 police officers were assaulted.
Trump has vowed to pardon people convicted for their roles in the incident. He has called them “unbelievable patriots” and “hostages.”
The former president also has a criminal conviction himself. A Manhattan jury found him guilty in May of falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.
He is the subject of two additional criminal cases tied to his election interference efforts, and routinely attacks various law enforcement officials involved in prosecuting him.
See some of the other reactions to Emmer’s remark below.