PolitiFact says it had a lot of contenders for this year’s “lie of the year.” There were all those lies about the COVID vaccine, for example. PolitiFact kind of cheated this year, though, and instead of pointing to just one concrete lie, it decided on a blanket award to all of the claims “downplaying the realities and significance of the Capitol insurrection.” We’re tempted to call out PolitiFact for calling it an insurrection, since as far as we know no one’s been charged with that crime. Even the QAnon Shaman was charged and found guilty of obstruction of justice.
In fact, we’re going to go so far as to suggest the lie of the year being claims that overplayed the significance of the riots, such as Sen. Chuck Schumer comparing them to Pearl Harbor and George Will and others comparing them to 9/11. Or the claim that the January 6 attacks were likely to kill a lot more Americans than were killed in the September 11 attacks.
By the evening of Jan. 6, democracy was still standing. But the manipulation of the narrative was already underway. PolitiFact’s 2021 Lie of the Year? Lies about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and its significance. 🧵https://t.co/BriwueYTfi pic.twitter.com/WEGJGv0Gs8
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
Nearly a year later, there is zero evidence to say that Jan. 6 was an antifa operation, a tourist visit, a false flag, or an uneventful day to forget. pic.twitter.com/NZ85FSpqas
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
PolitiFact had many options to choose from for our Lie of the Year: claims that the 2020 election was stolen, claims that the COVID vaccine didn’t work, and this one, claims downplaying the realities and significance of the Capitol insurrection. pic.twitter.com/7LwmVcjp78
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
We picked the Jan. 6 lie for two reasons. First is the historical significance of the attack. A federal judge called it "the most significant assault on the Capitol since the War of 1812." https://t.co/vtsfniYxrD
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
Over the years, some members of Congress lodged protests when the Electoral College count was close, as in 2000, or when individual states had close margins, like Ohio in 2004.
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
Yeah, 2000 and 2004? Those were both Democratic members of Congress objecting to the certification of electoral votes. And don’t forget the Dems who objected to the certification of Donald Trump’s electoral votes; not only are they not considered insurrectionists, one serves on the January 6 special committee.
But never before had Americans overtaken the Capitol to hold up the electoral proceedings and threaten lawmakers. In fact, “peaceful transfer of power” has long been a hallmark phrase in describing, with pride, the American experience. pic.twitter.com/miDPE8dzcT
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
Second, the events of Jan. 6 were widely broadcast on that day and many days afterward. The body of evidence for what happened includes direct video documentation and eyewitness accounts. pic.twitter.com/5V1vYwOLUg
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
Despite evidence showing that dozens of rioters were armed with real and makeshift weapons as they tried to overturn the election, claims that Jan. 6 was “not an insurrection” hardened into a popular talking point.
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
Another nominee for lie of the year: Officer Brian Sicknick was bludgeoned to death with a fire extinguisher. That made the New York Times, was included in the Democrats’ impeachment of President Trump, and is still widely believed today.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., minimized the attack by arguing in February that it couldn’t be considered an armed insurrection. We rated that Pants on Fire! https://t.co/cG6Ze0jked
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
On her show in February, Laura Ingraham said that the events of Jan. 6 paled in comparison with history’s other insurrections. In June, Fox Business Network host Maria Bartiromo said that calling Jan. 6 an armed insurrection is one of the nation’s “biggest lies.”
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
Fox News host Tucker Carlson repeatedly denied that Jan. 6 had anything to do with race, falsely claiming that white supremacists bore no responsibility for what happened. https://t.co/38hUnvD6mA
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
Several people with known ties to white supremacist groups were involved, including people now facing conspiracy charges. Symbols of white supremacy and anti-Semitism were prominent: a hanging gallows; Confederate flags; racist “Pepe the frog” imagery; a “Camp Auschwitz” T-shirt.
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
Many of the same right-wing voices who went to great lengths to excuse or minimize the attack also teetered between wild conspiracy theories that sought to entirely rewrite what happened.
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
"This has all the hallmarks of Antifa provocation," Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., tweeted at 5:04 p.m. He had posted a photo of the pro-Trump crowd at the rally hours before.
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
But talk about antifa and a “false flag” began to take off on anonymous online forums a little after noon EST on Jan. 6, according to PolitiFact’s day-after analysis. The evidence didn’t seem to matter. https://t.co/YQpt32qa0Y
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
In a House floor speech, Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, cited the false flag theory, and said he saw Carlson’s segment on it. “This is like Putin kind of activity,” said Gohmert.
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
The loudest deniers of what happened on Jan. 6 weren’t shouting into a void. As they pushed their false narratives about antifa and the FBI, Republican lawmakers responded to the attack with another form of downplay: silence. https://t.co/EtpL7cQyOF
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
“We will run our own investigation,” Rep. McCarthy vowed in July.
But he never did.
It was a stunning about-face for Republicans who have otherwise supported police and law-and-order measures.
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
The efforts to downplay and deny what happened at the Jan. 6 insurrection this year is an attempt to brazenly recast what the public is able to see for themselves. https://t.co/BriwueYTfi pic.twitter.com/jIbU3WOqs8
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
So far, the consequences for what happened before, during and after Jan. 6 have been limited to rioters like the “QAnon Shaman” who were sentenced for storming the Capitol.
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
Political leaders and pundits, on the other hand, are going about business as usual. Trump, acquitted in the Senate for a second time, may run again in 2024. McCarthy is angling to take back the speakership. https://t.co/BriwueYTfi
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
Yawn. 🙄
— Hube (@ColossusRhodey) December 15, 2021
Gee, I wonder where did "We won't leave any Americans behind in Afghanistan." and "If you make under $400,000 a year your taxes won't go up a single penny." rate?
— Jeff Vee (@Acuda4me) December 15, 2021
Imagine being dumb enough that you listen to Politifact. pic.twitter.com/kQfFqwpti9
— FBI Most Wanted NiceToMeetYa! (@NiceToMeetYa4) December 15, 2021
Sure thing Russia hoaxers 😂😂😂
— Christopher James $8 (@ChrisjamesCincy) December 15, 2021
CNN and PolitiFact could be the same company. #mindmeld https://t.co/pZnoNX6BK5
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) December 15, 2021
Related:
Lincoln Project co-founder says Capitol riots likely to kill more Americans than died in the 9/11 terrorist attack https://t.co/018rZ0ZaeW
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 8, 2021
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