I turned on the news this morning and caught the start of an interview with a giddy Tim Burchett (Rep., TN) and a none-too-pleased Jim Acosta, who went into this interview with a clear and reasonable goal to ask Burchett if he supported Trump’s blanket pardon for those charged for crimes during the January 6 storming of the Capitol.
He started slow, dodging the question — just waiting for Acosta to press him harder. The glee in Burchett’s face was beaming the moment that happened and he had the opportunity to say Acosta was just mad that Trump won. Along with, “This is why people are watching the Cartoon Network, Sponge Bob reruns.”
But what boggled me most was his defense that he didn’t support pardons for violent offenders, but he didn’t see any for himself. While also saying that he was one of the last people to the Capitol that day, had his life threatened — and that he’s had his life threatened over the last few weeks but there hasn’t been any coverage on that.
Burchett isn’t the only member of Congress to say something along the lines of “well I didn’t see it therefore I can’t say anything. I don’t understand how that’s true for any American at this point but especially not people who were in the Capitol that day. The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper interviewed Trump supporters on Inauguration Day and a couple of the people he interviewed said they hadn’t seen the violence, one even saying that the news platforms he follows must not have shared it.
It’s an easy way to dismiss it that has picked up quickly when in reality it’s just gaslighting.
Although there’s really no way to defend the actions of the rioters, especially those who proudly voice their support for law enforcement. Therefore deflecting and whataboutisms seems to be the game plan.
Additionally, I was not surprised about the rant on Truth Social that Trump made regarding the National Prayer Service that he attended that morning. During her sermon, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde took the time to speak directly to him, asking him to have mercy on the people in this country who are scared.
Essentially though, the TL;DR version is that Bishop Budde asked him to be a good Christian. Which most of his supporters resonate with. And this was his response.
But if you watch the video, it is interesting to watch those around him, many of which are vocal about their faith, were none too pleased. JD Vance in particular, who did not hold back on expressing his distain with comments to his wife. She seemed like the only one who was (or was making an effort to) taking it seriously.
Clearly, this was a zero-star experience for Mr. Trump.
