‘There’s a clear distinction’: Speaker Mike Johnson explains why Jan. 6 rioters walk free while LA protesters deserve, like, jail forever

Speaker Mike Johnson recently talked about the different ways people have reacted to the January 6 Capitol riot and the recent protests in Los Angeles.

When it comes to the January 6 rioters, Speaker Johnson’s view is that those who broke the law faced the right consequences under the legal system, even though many will be pardoned. He said that the courts handled the cases, and those who were found guilty received proper punishment. While he did not go into detail about what those punishments were, his comments suggested that any pardons given were decided after looking at the legal process and possibly other factors that might have lessened their blame.

His main point was that the individuals were held accountable within the normal justice system. On the other hand, Speaker Johnson described the Los Angeles protests as a situation that needed a much stronger response. He said the protests had led to widespread damage and portrayed them as reaching a level of chaos that put public safety and property at risk. He referred to past examples of similar unrest, saying this showed a pattern that required quick, firm action to stop things from getting worse and causing more harm.

January 6 rioters once again defended by speaker

His reason for supporting a strong police and military presence in Los Angeles was based on worries that the violence could grow and lead to more property destruction. He argued that immediate action was needed to avoid a repeat of past events where protests turned very destructive. This is despite Newsom claiming Trump made things worse.

When asked, Johson said, “No, I think there’s a clear distinction between those two. We’ve seen what’s happened in LA and in the early 90s and other times when these things get out of control, when they burn whole city blocks down and shut the place down. You have to stay on top of that you cannot let it get out of control. I think nationalizing—federalizing the national guard is important.”

According to Speaker Johnson, bringing in the National Guard or even the Marines might be necessary to keep order and protect people and property. He said this approach was different from how January 6 was handled, where the main focus was on legal consequences after the fact.

The heart of Speaker Johnson’s argument is that the two events were not the same in terms of size and seriousness. He separated what he saw as individual acts of lawbreaking on January 6, which were dealt with through the courts, from what he called a much larger and more violent situation in Los Angeles, which he believed required a strong, immediate police response to stop further damage and danger to lives.