Glenn Youngkin, the Republican candidate for Virginia governor, on Thursday disavowed attendees of a GOP rally who pledged allegiance to an American flag claimed to have been flown at the Jan. 6 rally near the U.S. Capitol ahead of the deadly riot there.
Asked about the episode on Thursday, Youngkin noted that he was not involved in the Wednesday rally, before saying that his supporters should not have pledged allegiance to a flag that had been carried at the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
“I wasn’t involved and so I don’t know,” Youngkin said. “But if that is the case, then we shouldn’t pledge allegiance to that flag. And oh by the way, I’ve been so clear, there is no place for violence — none, none — in America today.”
The “Take Back Virginia” rally in Glen Allen on Wednesday featured a handful of prominent figures on the right, including former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon and Virginia state Sen. Amanda Chase, who attended the rally in Washington on Jan. 6.
While Youngkin didn’t attend or speak at the Wednesday event, former President Trump called in to voice support for the Virginia GOP gubernatorial nominee.
At the outset of the rally, the emcee called up a woman with an American flag and claimed that it had been “carried at the peaceful rally with Donald J. Trump on Jan. 6.”
Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic nominee for Virginia governor, condemned that episode Thursday and called on Youngkin to join him in disavowing attendees who pledged allegiance to that flag.
With less than three weeks to go before Election Day in Virginia, polling shows McAuliffe and Youngkin in a tight race, though McAuliffe holds a slight edge. While Trump has endorsed Youngkin in the race, the former president has yet to campaign alongside him.
During his call-in to the rally on Wednesday, Trump floated the idea of holding a rally with Youngkin in the future.