Tucker Carlson on Thursday questioned the three-and-a-half-year prison sentence handed to UCLA student Christian Secor after he stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, with a mob of Donald Trump followers and sat in Mike Pence’s chair. The Fox News host later wanted to know what the former vice president thought about that. (Watch the video at the bottom.)
Carlson noted that Secor, who was suspended from UCLA, will spend “far more time” behind bars than two attorneys who fire-bombed a police car in Brooklyn during a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020. Carlson played fast and loose with the facts in his argument. More on that later.
But first, here’s how Carlson characterized Secor’s involvement:
“So, what exactly did Christian Secor do to spend more time behind bars a lot more than those guys? Well, on Jan. 6 of 2021, Christian Secor walked into the Senate chamber and sat down briefly in Mike Pence’s seat. That’s it. Didn’t hurt anyone, sat in Mike Pence’s seat. For that, Christian Secor will spend more time in prison than people who tried to set police officers on fire ― to murder police officers.”
First off, the convicted attorneys didn’t attempt to attack police officers at all ― they threw a Molotov cocktail into an empty police vehicle. (Their potential sentence was later reduced from 10 years to a recommended 18 months to two years. The actual sentencing for at least one of them is expected in November.)
Carlson’s description of Secor’s actions was a tad generous. Secor, who carried the flag of a far-right movement, “joined other rioters in pushing against doors and overpowering three police officers, according to a court filing that accompanied his guilty plea,” The Associated Press wrote. (He pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding.)
The Trump-nominated judge who sentenced him, Trevor McFadden, said Secor’s actions were “about as blatant and obstructive as any [he’d] seen from that day that didn’t include actual violence,” NPR reported.
Secor’s attorneys presented letters to suggest he was remorseful, but McFadden said, “I’m not sure I’ve really seen that from you, sir,” according to NPR.
Prosecutors also argued that Secor, who was not found to be armed that day, had raised red flags about his intentions through purchases of firearms and tactical gear. (He showed off his AR-15 in a video, NPR noted.)
Secor previously expressed support for “political violence” according to assistant U.S. attorney Kimberly Paschall.
“Secor’s history of adhering to extremist ideology and easy access to weapons, including firearms, warrants serious consideration when fashioning an appropriate sentence,” Paschall wrote, per AP.
Yeah, just a dude who sat in a chair, Tucker.
The far-right host then called out Pence, who was targeted in “hang Mike Pence” cheers from the rioters, for not responding to his request for comment.
“So, what does Mike Pence think of this?” Carlson said. “A man going to prison for three and a half years for sitting in his seat? He didn’t issue a statement about it, so we called his office. What do you think? He didn’t respond. Maybe he will. It’d be interesting to know, what does Mike Pence think? Is he for this?”
H/T Media Matters