HuffPost By Arthur Delaney and Ryan J. Reilly 8/12/2021
Some people who stormed the building were “simply expressing their peaceful support for a political party different from that in power,” the senator said.
Not everybody who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 deserves criminal punishment, according to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
“If an individual assaulted a police officer, they should spend a long, long time in jail,” Cruz told HuffPost.
“If, on the other hand, the Biden administration is targeting and persecuting people for exercising political speech that is nonviolent and simply expressing their peaceful support for a political party different from that in power, that is not the purpose of our criminal justice system,” he added.
The Justice Department has arrested more than 570 people in connection with the attack. Many of the defendants have been charged with low-level misdemeanors, like unlawful picketing.
More:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ted-cruz-capitol-riot-defendants_n_6115330ae4b0454ed70b0648
