Far-right Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) attempted to claim on Friday that nobody has been tried and prosecuted for sedition in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, only for a C-SPAN anchor to coolly fact-check his obviously false claim.
Taking calls from viewers during an appearance on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, a rite of passage for guests of the program, the MAGA lawmaker was soon grilled by callers over former President Donald Trump’s promise to pardon Capitol rioters.
“Trump wants to pardon the traitors that have been convicted of seditious conspiracy? Come on! What the hell’s wrong with you Republicans?!” one caller from Oregon exclaimed.
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“I appreciate the call, and I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying, but I think you’re talking about the former president saying if he gets elected he’d issue some pardons or clemency to some of the people arrested and prosecuted on Jan. 6,” Biggs answered.
“Not all were convicted of seditious treason. In fact, none were! So that’s important to understand,” he confidently declared. “The second thing I would say is that many of them were convicted of misdemeanor trespass. And I think that’s important to understand as well.”
The next caller, meanwhile, continued to grill Biggs over his sympathetic attitude towards the insurrection and the MAGA rioters behind it. In this instance, the viewer from Mississippi asked if those who “conspired” with Trump and ex-Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark should be “held accountable,” further wondering why Biggs requested his own pardon following the riots.
“I didn’t ask for a pardon. That’s been completely debunked,” the Arizona congressman replied, echoing his previous denials of the reported request. “But, you know, lies persist, so that’s going to happen and I’m big enough to withstand the perpetual lie in that way.”
The lawmaker added: “There’s been no indication that anybody attempted to overthrow the government with somebody named Jeff Clark, whom I don’t believe I’ve ever even met. So thanks for the perpetuation of the false narrative of the left.”
Right after the Trump-boosting lawmaker was done railing against the “lies” spread about the Jan. 6 attack, Washington Journal host Greta Brawner casually chimed in to correct Biggs’ own falsehoods.
“Congressman, USA Today had this headline back in November of 2022 that Stewart Rhodes, the Oath Keepers founder, was found guilty of seditious conspiracy,” she flatly stated.
Indeed, Rhodes and co-defendant Kelly Meggs—leader of the far-right militia’s Florida chapter—were both convicted of seditious conspiracy last year for planning an armed rebellion to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral victory. Both men face up to 20 years in prison.
“Oh, OK,” Biggs stammered in response. “Yeah, well, I didn’t follow that case.”
