« I am concerned about the possibility that political objectives motivated the vigor of the prosecution of the J6 defendants, » Kennedy said.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., seeking to clarify his position about the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, said Friday that there is « little evidence of a true insurrection, » given participants weren’t armed and didn’t have « plans or ability to seize the reins of government. »
Kennedy’s statement comes in the wake of a campaign fundraising email that called January 6 defendants « activists, » as it did Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden.
A British court is considering extraditing Assange, who is Australian, to the U.S. while Snowden is living in exile in Russia.
« This is the reality that every American Citizen faces — from Ed Snowden, to Julian Assange to the J6 activists sitting in a Washington DC jail cell stripped of their Constitutional liberties, » the Kennedy campaign’s email read. « Please help our campaign call out the illiberal actions of our very own government. »
A campaign spokeswoman told Newsweek that the fundraising email « was an error that does not reflect Mr. Kennedy’s views, » and that the language was inserted by a new marketing contractor that has since been terminated.
Kennedy’s statement issued Friday begins with: « January 6 is one of the most polarizing topics on the political landscape. I am listening to people of diverse viewpoints on it in order to make sense of the event and what followed. I want to hear every side. »
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in January that 1,265 people have been charged with a variety of felonies and misdemeanors related to their behavior during the riot at the Capitol, 116 of whom carried a weapon, usually a flagpole, knife or makeshift battering ram. One fired a gun and one set off an explosive device.
Many defendants spent weeks, months or years in jail before being sentenced to prison, some for as little as a month, others to more than 12 years.
« Like many reasonable Americans, I am concerned about the possibility that political objectives motivated the vigor of the prosecution of the J6 defendants, their long sentences, and their harsh treatment, » Kennedy’s statement reads.
