Texas Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee was roasted online after claiming that Antifa and BLM protesters who rioted for months in cities like Portland cannot be compared to the Capitol rioters because the former just wanted “good things to happen.”
In a short Twitter thread Tuesday evening following testimony earlier in the day by FBI Director Christopher Wray, Jackson Lee also suggested there were racial and political motivations behind the arrest of more than 1,000 people in Portland alone over a span of more than five months, while only about 300 people have been “barely arrested” for the Capitol assault.
“Testimony today on the Hill evidences that in the Portland protests, a thousand people were arrested. People protesting against the violence that was evidenced in the George Floyd murder. People wanting good things to happen,” she began.
2/4 alleged that 40,000 protesters were in DC with the mindset to overturn a legitimate election and to kill the Speaker, the Vice President, and Members of Congress, in that instance, only 300 persons have now been arrested and are being prosecuted. What kind of justice is that?
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) March 3, 2021
“In Washington DC on January 6th, where it is alleged that 40,000 protesters were in DC with the mindset to overturn a legitimate election and to kill the Speaker, the Vice President, and Members of Congress, in that instance, only 300 persons have now been arrested and are being prosecuted. What kind of justice is that?” Jackson Lee added.
“How clearly does that show a racial and political divide where protestors who want to overthrow the government who were the supporters of the former president and exhibited acts of racism were barely prosecuted and barely arrested?” Jackson Lee noted further.
4/4 information to law enforcement that needed to have such information so that a stronger response could have occurred against those who were intending to do the seat of democracy harm and to kill the people inside.
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) March 3, 2021
“The FBI failed to provide detailed information to law enforcement that needed to have such information so that a stronger response could have occurred against those who were intending to do the seat of democracy harm and to kill the people inside,” she concluded.
After federal prosecutors initially claimed that some Capitol rioters wanted to assassinate elected officials, Michael Sherwin, acting United States Attorney for the District of Columbia dismissed those in mid-January.
“We don’t have any direct evidence of kill capture teams” targeting U.S. lawmakers or other elected officials, he said Jan. 15.
As for the rioting in Portland, at one point a federal courthouse came under siege for more than a month, leading the Trump administration to reinforce it with additional federal officers who faced attacks nightly.
Also, dozens of police officers were injured over the course of several months, and some people were killed.
Five people linked to the Capitol riot died including Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, though during his Tuesday testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Wray refused to say how he died after reports shortly after his death claimed he was struck in the head by a protester armed with a fire extinguisher.
Last week, Sicknick’s mother rejected the fire extinguisher narrative and suggested he died from a stroke following altercations with protesters.
In addition, 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt, an unarmed supporter of former President Trump, was shot and killed by someone believed to be a plainclothes Capitol Police officer as she tried to climb through a door into an anteroom outside the House chamber. No details have been released about the shooting including the alleged officer’s identity.
As for Jackson Lee, she was blasted online for her statements and comparisons.
“This might be the dumbest thread I have ever read, which is not surprising given the source,” one user wrote. “Portland had 5+ months of nightly violent riots that included assaults, murders, buildings being burned down etc. In all that time, they had a total of 1K arrests and most of them were not prosecuted.”
Portland had 5+ months of nightly violent riots that included assaults, murders, buildings being burned down etc.
In all that time, they had a total of 1K arrests and most of them were not prosecuted: https://t.co/MNGFk1XEG0
— AG (@AGHamilton29) March 3, 2021
And her logic is based on there being 40,000 protesters there, seemingly unaware that protesting isn't a crime. The 300 that were charged and will be prosecuted are a significant portion of those who actually committed crimes on Jan 6th. No similar thing happened in Portland.
— AG (@AGHamilton29) March 3, 2021
Seriously her thread actually proves that authorities took the Jan 6th riot much more seriously and did a much better job pursuing the culprits than those who rioted for months in Portland. She just doesn’t seem to realize it.
— AG (@AGHamilton29) March 3, 2021
Others chimed in as well.
Seriously her thread actually proves that authorities took the Jan 6th riot much more seriously and did a much better job pursuing the culprits than those who rioted for months in Portland. She just doesn’t seem to realize it.
— AG (@AGHamilton29) March 3, 2021
Why do idiots in Houston keep sending you back there. You are literally insane.
— Jim Verdi (@jjverdi) March 3, 2021
Amazing people actually elected you. For anything. Ever.
— DC (@dcomr4d) March 3, 2021
So many things wrong with this. It’s like a child just put words next to each other and typed it on Twitter.
— The Dude (@ElDuderinoDylan) March 3, 2021
Is this satire?
— cameldeath (@cameldeathh) March 3, 2021
So what you’re saying is that it’s okay for Democrats to riot but not Republicans.
— James (@SoulMan4) March 3, 2021
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Jon is a staff writer for BizPac Review with 30 years' worth of reporting experience, as well as an author and U.S. Army veteran. He has a BA in political science from Ashford University and an MA in national security studies/intelligence analysis from American Military University.
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