DeSantis on Jan. 6 riot: 'It was not an insurrection'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said in an interview Friday that the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol "was not an insurrection."

During an interview with actor Russell Brand, DeSantis was asked if he would consider those who participated in the Jan. 6 riot "insurrectionists" or "protesters." The Florida Republican downplayed the events of the Capitol attack, saying in part of his response, "it was not an insurrection."

"These are people that were there to attend a rally and then they were there to protest. Now, it devolved, and it devolved into a riot. But the idea that this was a plan to somehow overthrow the government of the United States is not true, and it's something that the media had spun up just to try to basically, you know, get as much mileage out of it and use it for partisan and for political aims," DeSantis continued.

"If somebody is honestly doing an insurrection against the U.S. government then prove that that's the case, and I'd be happy to accept it," he added later. "But all you're showing me is that there are a lot of protesters there. And it ended up devolving, you know, in ways that was unfortunate, of course, but to say that they were seditionists is just wrong."

A pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election results, which former President Trump falsely claimed were illegitimate. But that attack ultimately undeterred lawmakers and former Vice President Mike Pence from certifying the results.

Pence, whose relationship with Trump faltered over the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, was also pressed recently over how he would describe the events that took place.

“All I know for sure having lived through it at the Capitol is that it was a tragic day,” Pence told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson at an Iowa event last week. “I’ve never used the word insurrection, Tucker, over the past two years, but it was a riot that took place at the Capitol that day.”

“I believe whatever his intentions in that moment, it endangered me and my family and everyone that was at the Capitol that day,” Pence said of Trump during the event. “I believe history will hold him accountable for that.”

The Hill has reached out to DeSantis's campaign for comment.