Debunking Ramaswamy’s Claims on the January 6 Capitol Attack
During a recent CNN town hall in Iowa, GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy made several claims that warrant a closer examination. He reiterated his previous assertion that the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol was an “inside job,” suggesting that the police “rolled out the red carpet” for the rioters. However, this claim is fundamentally flawed. Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted while attempting to prevent the mob from entering the Capitol. Police body-worn camera footage obtained by CNN reveals officers engaging in hand-to-hand combat with rioters in a desperate bid to prevent them from entering the building. While there were instances where rioters entered the Capitol without resistance, this occurred only after they had breached barricades and, in some cases, stepped through broken windows. The police were significantly outnumbered in some areas, leading them to retreat, stand aside, or attempt to de-escalate the situation rather than engage in combat or make arrests. This is a far cry from welcoming rioters into the building.
Disproving Ramaswamy’s ‘Government Entrapment’ Theory
Ramaswamy also reiterated his belief that the January 6 attack was a case of “government entrapment,” citing the presence of federal law enforcement agents as evidence. However, FBI Director Christopher Wray, a lifelong Republican appointed by Trump, has consistently refuted claims that federal law enforcement agents were responsible for the violence that unfolded at the Capitol on January 6. Wray has firmly stated that the violence was not orchestrated by FBI sources or agents. The conspiracy theory that the FBI orchestrated the attack emerged in summer 2021 from a series of articles and TV segments from pro-Trump news outlets. The narrative, which is based on a web of unproven claims, half-truths, and inaccuracies, suggests that the US government sent undercover FBI agents to instigate the violence to frame Trump supporters and tarnish Trump’s image. Approximately 850 rioters have been convicted of crimes related to January 6, according to the Justice Department. Most of them pleaded guilty, and many admitted that they were at the Capitol because they supported Trump.
Addressing Ramaswamy’s Claims on the Michigan Governor Kidnapping Case
Ramaswamy used the kidnapping case involving Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to support his false claim that government agents entrapped Trump supporters on January 6. He stated that three defendants were acquitted because they were entrapped. However, this only tells part of the story. Nine other men charged in the plot were ultimately convicted. There were federal and state charges stemming from the kidnapping plot against a total of 14 defendants. Nine were convicted either by pleading guilty or at trial, and five were acquitted. Testimony from the cases established that undercover FBI agents played a role in the plan, a common tactic in investigations into criminal groups and gangs. Some of the defendants raised an entrapment defense at trial. There were indeed split verdicts, but more were convicted than acquitted.
Correcting Ramaswamy’s Misleading Statement on the Fed and Inequality
Ramaswamy blamed the Federal Reserve’s policies over the past two decades for the growing inequality between the richest Americans and the middle class. He suggested that the Fed’s policies of maintaining relatively low interest rates for most of that period disproportionately benefited the wealthy. This claim is misleading. While higher-income Americans may have benefited more from lower interest rates, middle-class and lower-income Americans also reaped some benefits. For example, when the Fed cut interest rates to near-zero levels to stimulate the economy following the pandemic-induced unemployment surge, many Americans were able to refinance their mortgages and secure record low rates.
Challenging Ramaswamy’s Assertion on Wages and Inflation
Ramaswamy claimed that the American Dream is currently unattainable, citing rising prices and interest rates, including mortgage rates, while wages have remained stagnant. However, this is not entirely accurate. At least two main government reports show that wage growth now outpaces inflation. In November, workers’ real average weekly earnings grew on an annual basis by 0.5%, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report, which looks at inflation-adjusted earnings. This indicates that wage growth outpaced inflation. Similarly, the bureau’s Employment Cost Index showed that inflation-adjusted wages and salaries for civilian workers increased 0.9% for the 12 months ending September 2023, the most recent data available. This index, which tracks changes in employers’ labor costs for wages and salaries, is not subject to the same distortions as other measures, such as average hourly earnings, because it keeps the composition of the workforce constant.