Former Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday that if former President Donald Trump is guilty of inciting the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, then Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., should be held accountable for other violent incidents.
Walker discussed the federal indictment against Trump on “The Julie Mason Show” on SiriusXM radio. He argued that GOP primary voters will rally around the besieged former president because they think the charges are political and unfair.
“I think there’s a sense when they feel like someone’s being attacked, there’s a sense in the family of circling around that person and trying to protect them, and I think that’s a little bit of it here,” Walker said.
“People think, ‘Well, if these sorts of things are worthy of indictment, why aren’t they indicting Bernie Sanders for inciting violence against Steve Scalise and the other Republicans at the baseball practice or Chuck Schumer for the things he said about Supreme Court justices?’” Walker continued. “And then people ended up in violation of federal law in front of their house.”
LIVE UPDATES: DONALD TRUMP TO APPEAR IN COURT FOR INDICTMENT HEARING IN JAN. 6 CASE
Walker referenced the 2017 shooting at a congressional baseball practice, in which House Minority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and several others were injured.
James T. Hodgkinson, a far-left former volunteer on Sanders’ presidential campaign, opened fire on a group of Republican lawmakers in June 2017 as they practiced for the annual Congressional Baseball Game. Scalise was shot and critically injured during the attack, requiring surgeries to save his life. Sanders denounced the shooting at the time, saying he was “sickened by this despicable act” and that “violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society.”
Walker also referred to comments Schumer made in 2020 warning the court against undermining federal abortion rights. At an abortion rights rally in March, 2020, Schumer called out Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh by name.
“I want to tell you, Gorsuch. I want to tell you, Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price!” Schumer said. “You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.”
TRUMP TO APPEAR IN FEDERAL COURT AFTER BEING CHARGED WITH CRIMES RELATED TO JAN 6
Later in 2022, after a leaked draft opinion indicated the court would overturn Roe v. Wade, Schumer said he was comfortable with “peaceful” protests outside the justices’ homes. Those comments came after an armed man from California was arrested outside Kavanaugh’s Maryland home and charged with attempted murder.
Trump was indicted Tuesday charges that stem from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into 2020 election interference and the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. He faces four federal charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
Walker said GOP voters believe that if Trump is culpable for violence during the Jan. 6 violence, Sanders and Schumer should also be held accountable for these incidents.
He also said the federal grand jury indictment against Trump could impact the general election in November 2024.
“One of the mistakes Trump and his allies had made last fall was spending too much time looking backwards talking about the 2020 election instead of moving forward, and I think in the general election voters in battleground states like mine want to hear about what’s next,” Walker said.
“If liberals are focused on the last presidential election, I think they’re in trouble,” he added.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman, Ronn Blitzer, Danielle Wallace, David Spunt and Bill Mears contributed to this report.