Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) left critics scratching their heads after arguing that Donald Trump, a convicted felon who inspired a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, is with police and against criminals.
“Donald Trump stands with the people and the police, our men and women in blue, not with the criminals and rioters,” says the majority in the House of Representatives. said from the stage at the Republican National Convention Tuesday, attacking Vice President Kamala Harris for supporting Black Lives Matter protesters.
The irony was not lost on critics and others on social media.
“21 members of your caucus voted against giving the Capitol Police the Gold Medal for their efforts on January 6,” wrote Harry Dunn, a former Capitol Police officer who helped defend the building from pro- Trump rioters.
“The former president also calls the people who defeat law enforcement officers ‘patriots,’” he added.
Emmer’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.
More than 1,400 people have been charged in connection with the deadly riot at the Capitol, in which about 140 police officers were attacked.
Trump has promised to pardon people convicted for their role in the incident. He has called them “incredible patriots” and “hostages.”
The former president himself also has a criminal conviction. A Manhattan jury found him guilty in May of falsifying company records to conceal a hush money payment to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.
He is the subject of two additional criminal cases related to his election interference efforts, and routinely attacks several law enforcement officials involved in prosecuting him.
See some of the other responses to Emmer’s comment below.