On Thursday evening, President-elect Joe Biden, responding to the events on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol, used the incident to inject racism into the discussion about what had transpired, tweeting, “No one can tell me that if it had been a group of Black Lives Matter protestors yesterday that they wouldn’t have been treated very differently than the mob that stormed the Capitol. We all know that’s true — and it’s unacceptable.”
No one can tell me that if it had been a group of Black Lives Matter protestors yesterday that they wouldn’t have been treated very differently than the mob that stormed the Capitol.
We all know that’s true — and it’s unacceptable.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 7, 2021
On Friday, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) denounced Biden’s use of the tragedy that unfolded at the Capitol, in which five people ultimately died, including a Capitol Hill police officer, one Trump protester who was shot by police, and three other people who allegedly died from “medical emergencies.”
“Not the time. This is disgusting and divisive, not to mention hypocritical and false. You said you wanted to heal the country. Actions speak louder than words,” Crenshaw tweeted.
Not the time. This is disgusting and divisive, not to mention hypocritical and false.
You said you wanted to heal the country. Actions speak louder than words. https://t.co/qXhZ7rPjXT
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) January 8, 2021
Crenshaw was referencing Biden’s comments after the Electoral College certified him as the winner of the presidential election in mid-December, when he stated:
We the people voted, faith in our institutions held, the integrity of our elections remains intact. And now it’s time to turn the page as we’ve done throughout our history, to unite, to heal.
There’s urgent work in front of us. … we need to work together to give each other a chance to lower the temperature. And most of all, we need to stand in solidarity as fellow Americans, to see each other, our pain, our struggles, our hopes, and our dreams. We’re a great nation. We’re good people. We may come from different places, hold different beliefs, but we share in common a love for this country, a belief in its limitless possibilities.
For we, the United States of America, has always set the example for the world for a peaceful transition of power. We’ll do so again. I know the task before us won’t be easy. It’s tempered by the pain so many of us are feeling. … As in the Prayer of St. Francis, for where there is discord, union, where there is doubt, faith where there is darkness, light.
Crenshaw — a former Navy Seal who did five tours of duty and lost his right eye in 2012 when he was hit by an improvised explosive device blast in Helmand province in Afghanistan, had surgery to restore sight in his left eye, then deployed twice more — had to learn the ethos of the Seals, which states, in part:
My Trident is a symbol of honor and heritage. Bestowed upon me by the heroes that have gone before, it embodies the trust of those I have sworn to protect. By wearing the Trident I accept the responsibility of my chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege that I must earn every day.
My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own.