Michigan’s Top Republican Legislator Apologizes For Calling Capitol Riot A ‘Hoax’

Topline

Mike Shirkey, the Republican majority leader of Michigan’s State Senate, falsely asserted to constituents that last month’s riot in the U.S. Capitol building was “pre-arranged” and was not driven by former President Donald Trump’s supporters, making him the latest Republican to cast doubt about the origins of the deadly riots, but after his comments were made public Tuesday, Shirkey issued an apology.

Key Facts

During a private meeting at a restaurant last week, Shirkey told a group of constituents the mob that overtook the Capitol on Jan. 6 “wasn’t Trump people,” according to a video of the meeting leaked and first reported by Detroit Metro Times on Tuesday.

Instead, Shirkey suggested the riot was somehow “staged” and a “hoax,” though he did not elaborate on this theory or offer any evidence for it.

Shirkey later penned a statement apologizing for his comments, which he cast as a “lapse in restraint of tongue,” but he did not specifically disavow any of his claims about last month’s riot (a spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment).

Crucial Quote

“That wasn’t Trump people,” Shirkey said at the meeting, which was organized amid an effort by local GOP leaders to censure Shirkey for being insufficiently conservative. “That’s been a hoax from day one. That was all pre-arranged.”

Surprising Fact

Last week, Shirkey offered some sympathy for the Capitol rioters but didn’t appear to suggest they were part of an elaborate hoax. He told the New York Times the rioters likely felt oppressed by their government and, while he cannot endorse their actions, he can “understand where they come from.”

Key Background

Shirkey isn’t the first Republican to cast doubt on whether Trump supporters were behind last month’s riot. Conspiratorial freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani have all wondered aloud whether the riots were part of a shadowy, nefarious attempt to embarrass or otherwise harm Republicans. In reality, there is no evidence for this theory. Hundreds of people were arrested following the riots, and while their beliefs and level of planning varied, the vast majority of those with discernible political ideologies were vocal supporters of Trump who hoped to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s win.

Tangent

Shirkey met with Trump at the White House last November, a meeting that coincided with Trump’s unsuccessful efforts to pressure swing state legislators into overturning Biden’s electoral wins. Despite Trump’s baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, Shirkey said in last week’s secretly recorded meeting that he didn’t believe Michigan’s election was fraudulent.

Further Reading

Marjorie Taylor Greene Claims Capitol Rioters Weren’t Pro-Trump Days After Denying Conspiracy Theories (Forbes)

Shirkey falsely claims US Capitol attack was staged, not carried out by Trump supporters (Detroit Free Press)

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