Conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza had critics shaking their heads Monday after he attempted to whitewash the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol using one image.
D’Souza, a convicted felon who was pardoned by former President Donald Trump in 2018, tweeted a widely shared image from the riot showing a man carrying the House speaker’s lectern.
“Does this LOOK like an insurrection? A riot? A coup attempt?” he asked. “If it doesn’t walk like a duck or talk like a duck then it probably isn’t a duck.”
That man, Adam Christian Johnson, was arrested in January and charged with entering a restricted a building or grounds without lawful authority, theft of government property, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. He was one of hundreds to be charged in relation to the violent assault on the Capitol, led by a pro-Trump mob, that led to five deaths.
D’Souza made no mention of the massive stock of images showing those rioters storming the building, smashing property, assaulting police and threatening to harm elected officials.
D’Souza pleaded guilty to campaign finance fraud in 2012 for making an illegal donation to a Republican Senate candidate. He’s known for making offensive, shocking and racist comments, which have included mocking school shooting survivors and defending Adolf Hitler.
He was criticized by Twitter users Monday for suggesting insurrectionists aren’t insurrectionists just because they smiled and waved while doing it.
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