Elise Stefanik Condemned After Jan. 6 'Hostages' Remark
: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) speaks during a news conference with House Republican leadership at the U.S. Capitol November 29, 2023 in Washington, DC. Stefanik faces backlash across social media on Sunday as she is condemned over her “hostages” remark regarding the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot.
Representative Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, is facing backlash across social media on Sunday after calling jailed January 6, 2021, Capitol rioters “hostages.”
Thousands of Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building on January 6 in an effort to stop the 2020 presidential election results from being certified in Joe Biden’s favor. The then-president baselessly said that the election had been stolen from him via widespread fraud. More than 1,200 people have been charged with federal crimes in the riot, ranging from misdemeanors to felonies. About 730 people have pleaded guilty to charges, while about 170 have been convicted of at least one charge at a trial decided by a judge or a jury, according to the Associated Press.
In August 2023, Trump was indicted on four counts by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in relation to the riot, including conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. Trump has pled not guilty and has said that the case against him is politically motivated, as he remains the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
One day after the third anniversary of Capitol riot, in an interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday, Stefanik said she has “concerns about the treatment of January 6th hostages.”
“I have concerns about the treatment of January 6 hostages. I have concerns. We have a role in Congress of oversight, [and] over our treatment of prisoners,” Stefanik, the fourth-ranking House Republican and Trump ally, said.
The congresswoman added: “And I believe we are seeing the weaponization of the federal government against not just president Trump, but we are seeing it against conservatives, we are seeing it against Catholics. And that’s one of the reasons why I’m so proud to serve on the select committee on the weaponization of the government because the American people want answers, they want transparency.”
Newsweek has reached out to Stefanik via email for comment.
Stefanik’s comments echoed Trump’s rhetoric during a campaign stop in Clinton, Iowa, on Saturday about those involved in the riot.
Trump marked the third anniversary by demanding the release of all his supporters who have been convicted or detained for crimes relating to the riot as he called his jailed supporters “hostages.”
“They’ve suffered enough. I call them hostages. Some people call them prisoners,” Trump told the Iowa crowd.
Newsweek has reached out to Trump via email for comment.
In response to Stefanik’s comments, former Representative Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, condemned her choice of the word “hostage” as “outrageous and disgusting.”
In an interview on Sunday with CBS News’ Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan, Cheney also noted how Stefanik’s remarks echo the word Trump used, adding “that’s why she’s using it.”
“It’s outrageous and it’s disgusting. And if you go and you look at what individuals have been convicted for, who are incarcerated…these are people who were involved in violence against police officers in the assault on the Capitol. And it is really disgraceful for Donald Trump to be saying what he’s saying and then for those who [are] attempting to enable him or attempting to further their own political careers [to] repeat it,” Cheney said.
Cheney, who has been amongst the most prominent GOP critics of Trump, served on the House select committee that investigated the riot. In December 2022, the committee published an 845-page report that said the former president was personally responsible for the riot and recommended he face criminal charges.
While serving in Congress, Cheney was also among the 10 House Republicans who voted in support of impeaching Trump after the riot.
Meanwhile others took to X, formerly Twitter, to express their disapproval of Stefanik’s remarks.
Noting the state of the Republican leadership, Texas criminal defense attorney Sara Spector wrote, “Elise Stefanik now is painting the Convicted January 6 rioters as victims. She says the 2020 election should not have been certified. She is the woman who replaced Liz Cheney in Republican leadership. It’s not just Trump who is a danger to our country, it’s the Republican Party.”
X user JLVsTW1 wrote, “First of all, they are CRIMINALS not hostages! They broke the law and now they are being held accountable! The party of law and order you say?”
Another X user Zeddary posted, “Elise Stefanik, self-annointed [sic] crusader against antisemitism, is calling these people ‘hostages.'”
However, others seemed to agree with Stefanik’s choice of words.
“Elise we are blessed to have you on the right side of history!” X user Todd Jared wrote.
While X user Lydia Fleeman posted, “Thank you @RepStefanik for standing up for fairness and justice!”
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