President Biden said Wednesday it is “ridiculous” to compare the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol to last summer’s racial justice protests that looted American cities.
“It is one thing for literally criminals to break through the cordoned window of the Capitol, kill a police officer and be held unaccountable than it is for people objecting and marching on the Capitol saying you are not allowing me to speak freely, you are not allowing me to do A, B, C, or D,” Mr. Biden said.
Mr. Biden’s remarks came in Geneva after a several-hour summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Putin said he is cracking down on political opposition because he wants to spare his country from suffering an attack similar to the Jan. 6 insurrection and protests as destructive as last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests.
Mr. Biden’s accusation that the Capitol rioters killed a police officer has been disputed by the D.C. Medical Examiner.
Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died one day after he confronted rioters during the attack. His death was ruled as natural causes after he suffered two strokes.
No one has been charged in relation to Sicknick’s death, though two men have been accused of assaulting the officer by spraying him with mace.
