A Republican strategist’s robust defense of Donald Trump supporters involved in the Capitol riot sparked a fiery debate on CNN’s The Source Monday evening. The discussion highlighted differing views on who was peacefully protesting, who was trespassing, and who should face prosecution for their actions on January 6, 2021.
GOP strategist David Urban argued that the events of January 6 had been addressed both in courts and at the ballot box. “The American people dismissed it as well,” Urban said, referencing the results of the last election.
Urban acknowledged the violence against law enforcement, stating, “I agree the beating of police officers – Donald Trump said it himself – violence is never acceptable. Those people who beat the police officers, who injured a police officer, should go to jail. There’s no ifs, ands or buts.”
However, he also distinguished between different groups of protesters. “There’s a completely different story on the Supreme Court side of the Capitol,” Urban said, adding that some individuals “were allowed in” and that officers there “didn’t seem frightened or outnumbered.”
Urban further claimed that “to be factual,” Ashley Babbitt “was the only person who died” on January 6, a point that drew immediate pushback from others on the panel. CNN host Kate Bedingfield countered, highlighting the Capitol police officer who died the day after the attack. “That is beyond splitting hairs. Come on,” she said.
Sarah Matthews, Trump’s former deputy press secretary who resigned on the day of the riot, also took issue with Urban’s comments. “She [Ashley Babbitt] wouldn’t have been there that day if Donald Trump didn’t spread conspiracy theories about an election that he knew was not stolen,” Matthews said.
“And he told those people to go to the Capitol. She would not have died if it weren’t for Donald Trump to accept the results of the election, and you know that.” Despite the intense exchange, Urban maintained his stance and clarified that he does not support Trump pardoning the defendants on January 6 if he is re-elected.
“I think there are lots of things the American people care about much more so than January 6,” Urban said, concluding the heated discussion. The debate underscored lingering divisions over the events of January 6, with each panelist offering contrasting views on accountability and the broader implications for American democracy.