CNN host Abby Phillip said Wednesday that it is “astounding” that Republicans are making excuses for the rioters at the U.S. Capitol because “they might do it again.”
Phillip appeared on “The Lead With Jake Tapper” amid the vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach President Donald Trump for the second time. She discussed with host Jake Tapper the speeches that were made by many House Republicans against impeachment.
“The vast majority of them, I think, based on what they said today, seem to think that there is no difference between the storming of the Capitol, an attempted violent insurrection to stop the business of the United States government, and anything else that has happened in the history of this country,” said Phillip. “Most notably, one of the lawmakers in his speech said if they had arrested Black Lives Matter protesters before last week, the riot would never have happened. It’s a really unbelievable thing, the excuses that were being said today.”
Phillip went on to say that more Black Lives Matter protestors had been arrested then those arrested for the rioting at the Capitol last week. Phillip did not give a specific time frame or number for the arrests she was referring to.
More protests are planned for Washington, D.C. in the days leading up to and on the day of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20th. These include the “March For Reparations,” organized by a collection of groups including Black Lives Matter Minnesota, and “armed protests” that are reportedly being planned for Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitols, according to an internal bulletin released by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). (RELATED: ‘March For Reparations’ And ‘Armed Protests’ Expected In Washington, DC On Inauguration Day)
“I think it’s astounding to me that there is just a desire to create excuse after excuse to basically say don’t hurt these people’s feelings because they might do it again. And I think that is the scariest part about what we’re about to see here. Yes, there will be Republicans voting for this article of impeachment, but the vast majority of the Republican party is making excuses for what we saw last week.”