Scarborough says comparisons of Capitol riot to summer protests irrelevant

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough dismissed comparisons between the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters and protests for racial justice last summer. 

“I know there are idiots on other cable news channels that will say, ‘Well, this mom-and-pop store that was vandalized during the summer riots and that’s just as bad as the United States Capitol being vandalized,'” Scarborough said on his morning program Tuesday. “No. No, actually jackass, it’s not. The Capitol of the United States of America is the center of American democracy.” 

Scarborough said he remains a “fierce believer” in “people’s right to defend their private property” but said any comparison between the destruction of small businesses during civil unrest in cities across the country and the Jan. 6 riot is irrelevant.  

“I’m not going to confuse a taco stand with the United States Capitol,” Scarborough said. “I’m not going to confuse the selling of tacos with actually moving through a constitutional process that is laid out in the United States Constitution.”

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough says that local businesses being vandalized in antifa/BLM riots over the summer is not equatable to the Capitol building:

“No, jackass… I’m not going to confuse a taco stand with the United States Capitol.” pic.twitter.com/Za4X1uGuL9

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 16, 2021

Scarborough called for Trump and several of his closest allies to be arrested after a mob stormed the Capitol, leaving dozens injured and several people dead. 

Trump was impeached last month by House Democrats and 10 members of the House GOP on an article of inciting insurrection following the attack. He was acquitted by the Senate over the weekend. 

During impeachment proceedings in the House, a number of Republicans attempted to tie protests for racial justice in the wake of George Floyd’s death, some of which deteriorated into widespread looting and rioting, to what they said were Democrats’ partisan view on political violence. 

“For months, our cities burned,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) during impeachment hearings on the House floor. “And they said nothing or they cheerlead for it. … Now some have cited the metaphor that the president lit the flame. Well, they lit actual flames! Actual fires!”

Some leading conservative pundits have also pointed to what they characterize as selective outrage on the political left.