Patrick: Antifa not to blame for attack
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is telling his supporters to stop blaming left-wing activists for the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Patrick, one of President Donald Trump’s most important allies in Texas, told supporters in a lengthy message over the weekend that the people involved in storming the Capitol were Trump supporters. Some in the conservative world have tried to claim it was left-wing activists who were parading as Trump supporters.
“There are no excuses for those who stormed the Capitol on Wednesday,” Patrick said. “Five people died. And, sadly, it appears that most of the protesters inside the Capitol were Trump supporters.”
Patrick said one reason he knows that is that antifa protesters — a decentralized anti-fascism movement — typically cover their faces. Patrick also condemned those involved in the attack.
“There is no such thing as justifiable political violence,” Patrick said. “Politics is never an excuse for criminal behavior.”
Patrick has been a key adviser to
Trump’s White House on immigration policy and was chairman of Trump’s Texas campaigns in both 2016 and 2020. Patrick is not expected to be with Trump on Tuesday in Hidalgo County when the president makes a final stop along the Texas border before his term in office ends Jan. 20.
But Patrick also blasted those on the left who have tried to make it appear all Trump supporters deserve blame for the death and destruction that occurred.
“Enough of blaming all Trump supporters for the crimes of a small group who attacked the Capitol,” Patrick wrote. “I’ve spoken to and met thousands of Trump supporters across the nation. They love this country and the Constitution. They hate what they saw at the U.S. Capitol as much as I do.”
Patrick also offered a defense of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who had objected to certifying the presidential election results just moments before the Capitol was stormed. Patrick said Cruz’s actions did not incite the crowd.