Congressman Attacks ‘Peaceful Protest’ Narrative: Like Describing ‘Al Capone As A Mostly Law-Abiding Businessman’

A Republican congressman recently said describing recent protests as mostly peaceful is like calling notorious gangster Al Capone a law-abiding businessman.

“To describe what happened in Washington D.C. as mostly peaceful protests, I think, is a lot like describing Scott Peterson as a mostly faithful husband, or Al Capone as a mostly law-abiding businessman,” said California Republican Rep. Tom McClintock in a House Natural Resources Committee hearing June 29.

McClintock used exclusive footage from the Daily Caller to show the difference between violent riots and peaceful protests to the committee.

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The House Natural Resources Committee hearing was held to address the clash between protesters and the United States Park Police on June 1, in Lafayette Square, which allowed President Donald Trump to walk to St. John’s Church.

“The U.S. Park Police were under a state of siege and routinely subject to attack by violent crowds. The incidents are numerous and include U.S. Park Police officers having their police cars vandalized, being subject to bombardments by lighted flares, molotov cocktails, rocks, bricks, and other projectiles. And physical assaults so violent that to date over 50 area law enforcement officers have been injured including one park police officer so violently attacked that he required emergency surgery,” said McClintock, quoting U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt.

“I think we need to make a distinction between the right to peaceable assembly, which is sacred and protected under our First Amendment and violence, arson, and vandalism, which is not so protected,” McClintock said.

Thousands businesses throughout the country have been looted or destroyed following protests over the death of George Floyd, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody after an officer knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes.