In response to Ron DeSantis doubling down on downplaying the January 6 insurrection, DNC spokesperson Ammar Moussa released the following statement: 

“Ron DeSantis just doubled down on his long and consistent record of embracing dangerous conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. Today, he once again downplayed the violent mob that attacked the seat of our democracy – and he still won’t admit that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election and has said he would consider pardons for insurrectionists who attacked law enforcement officers. So much for that campaign reboot.”

DeSantis today continued to downplay the violent insurrection on January 6, when a violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol, assaulted police officers, and tried to overturn an election.

DeSantis: “I think it’s ridiculous how much money that they pumped in for the Capitol Police. It was not an insurrection. These are people that were there to attend a rally and then they were there to protest.”

DeSantis has repeatedly attempted to minimize the January 6 insurrection and refused to condemn Trump’s actions.

Newsweek: “DeSantis Sidesteps Question on Trump’s Transfer of Power”

New York Times: “Mr. DeSantis ducked only one question. A teenage boy invited him to condemn Mr. Trump’s efforts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 6, 2021. Mr. DeSantis declined to do so.”

Florida Politics: “DeSantis on Thursday stopped short of blaming Trump, himself and enablers who fueled election conspiracies or refused to accept the election results.”

Tampa Bay Times: “On Jan. 6 anniversary, DeSantis disputes that Capitol attack was an ‘insurrection’”

Sarasota Herald-Tribune: “With many blaming President Donald Trump and allies who encouraged him to challenge the election results for the lawlessness in the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis defended his support for the president’s unprecedented push to overturn the election. DeSantis said after the election that Trump should ‘fight on’ and ‘exhaust all options’ in challenging the results.”

Politico: “Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday condemned the commemoration of the violent Jan. 6 Capitol riots as a way for Democrats and the news media to ‘smear’ supporters of former President Donald Trump.”

DeSantis repeatedly encouraged Trump’s election denialism and STILL won’t even acknowledge that Trump lost the 2020 election.

Rolling Stone: “Ron DeSantis Still Can’t Bring Himself to Admit Trump Lost in 2020”

Business Insider: “DeSantis still won’t say whether he thinks Trump lost in 2020”

WFLA: “Gov. Ron DeSantis still wouldn’t say if he believes President Joe Biden was ‘duly and legally elected’ in 2020. … Although DeSantis has been asked the question before, 8 On Your Side found no record of him actually answering it, in print or on-air.”

CNN: “[DeSantis] said he wanted to publicly declare Trump the winner in Florida before the networks had but ‘this is like the one time Fox News would not allow me to go on.’ ‘They’re always begging me,’ DeSantis said. ‘They would not let me go on because I was going to say Trump won Florida.’ … DeSantis went on to raise concerns about the election process in neighboring Georgia, dancing around the edges of the conspiracies that have rattled the state ever since Trump lost by less than 12,000 votes.”

DeSantis said he would consider pardoning January 6 rioters — including violent insurrectionists and people charged with assaulting police officers.

The Hill: “DeSantis says he’ll consider pardoning Jan. 6 defendants, including Trump”

The Hill: “‘I’m going to do on day one, I will have folks that will get together and look at all these cases, who people are victims of weaponization or political targeting, and we will be aggressive in issuing pardons,’ DeSantis said on ‘The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show’ podcast when asked about whether he will consider pardoning Jan. 6 defendants, including Trump, who is currently facing a federal investigation over his role on Jan. 6.”

The Independent: “Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday said he would ‘aggressively’ use presidential pardons to free people who’ve been charged or convicted of crimes – including former President Donald Trump.”

DeSantis has used his seat in office to promote, embrace, and empower election deniers and insurrectionists.

Politico: “DeSantis won’t say if he thinks 2020 was rigged. But he’s campaigning for Republicans who do.”

CNN: “DeSantis recently embarked on a national tour to boost the campaigns of some of the most fervent election deniers nominated by his party this cycle.”

USA Today: “She stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. Then Gov. Ron DeSantis made her a state regulator”

HuffPost: “DeSantis Gives Interview To Jan. 6 Attendee Wearing ‘Three Percenters’ Militia Insignia”

NPR: “Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, recently tapped one of his allies in the Florida House to become the new secretary of state. The new elections chief, Cord Byrd, has a history of sparring with Democrats and, when asked, he has refused to say Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election.”