Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attempted to explain his position on the Capitol attack of January 6, 2021. He believes that both the Democratic and Republican parties are equally responsible for escalating partisanship over the issue. This comes as there is increasing attention on the independent candidate's stance on the matter.
Kennedy stated on Friday that both established parties are exploiting the events of January 6th to exacerbate divisions in America. He mentioned that each side argues that if their opponents win, it means the end of democracy, and they believe anything is justified to stop them.
He warned that there is a danger of destroying democracy in an attempt to protect it.
Kennedy, who is an independent candidate for president with significant polling numbers, seemed to be addressing controversies surrounding his stance on the Capitol attack.
He received criticism from Democrats after sending a fundraising email to supporters that referred to those involved in the insurrection as 'activists' and claimed they had been 'stripped of their Constitutional liberties.'
Democrats, who have been focusing on rallying against former President Trump over the 2021 riot in the 2024 election, criticized the wording used in the email. Kennedy's campaign spokesperson, Stephanie Spear, stated that it was an 'error' and did not meet the campaign’s usual standards before being sent out.
The backlash led Kennedy to release a statement on Friday, giving a broader account of his views on the January attack, acknowledging it as 'one of the most polarizing topics on the political landscape.'
He expressed his desire to consider every perspective and acknowledged that many of the January 6 protestors may have broken the law, initially as part of a protest but it escalated into a riot. He also noted that due to the encouragement of President Trump and within the context of his belief that the election was stolen, many people see it not as a riot but as an insurrection.
Kennedy faced criticism for implying that President Biden could pose a 'much worse threat to democracy' than Trump. The Capitol insurrection occurred after Trump refused to accept his loss to Biden in the 2020 election, leading to widespread chaos and injuries.
During a recent appearance on CNN, Kennedy stated, 'I can make the argument that President Biden is a much worse threat to democracy, and the reason for that is President Biden is the first candidate in history, the first president in history that has used the federal agencies to censor political speech, to censor his opponent.'
On Friday, in his email to supporters, Kennedy further expanded on the theme.
'I have not thoroughly examined the evidence, but reasonable people, including Trump opponents, inform me that there is little evidence of a genuine insurrection. They observe that the protestors carried no weapons, had no plans or ability to take over the government, and that Trump himself had encouraged them to protest 'peacefully,'” he wrote.
Kennedy's views are particularly distressing to Democrats who believe that his campaign is aiding Trump's chances of securing a second term in the White House.
