'It should have been stopped': Genesee Co. sheriff slams Trump over Jan. 6 in Biden TV ad – Detroit News
Washington — A new TV ad for the Biden campaign features Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson faulting former President Donald Trump for not stepping in to prevent his supporters from attacking police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“It should’ve been stopped. That’s neglect of duty. As a sheriff, it’s awful to watch police officers getting attacked. That’s not supporting this badge and this uniform,” Swanson says in the ad, gesturing to his black-collared dress uniform.
“I have no desire to work with somebody who divides. That’s not what America is. But I’ll work with anyone who unites. That’s why I’m with President Joe Biden.”
The 30-second spot launched Wednesday, the day before the highly anticipated first debate between Trump and President Joe Biden in Atlanta Thursday night at 9 p.m. on CNN. The ad is running on TV markets in eight battleground states as part of a $50 million buy by the campaign for the month of June.
In Michigan, it is running statewide on broadcast, cable and digital platforms, the Biden campaign said.
A representative of Trump’s campaign in Michigan highlighted polling suggesting that Trump is leading Biden in the battleground state and noting that over 100,000 Michigan Democrats voted “uncommitted” in the February presidential primary instead of for Biden.
“The only president neglecting their duty is Joe Biden who is hiding away at Camp David while illegal criminals and terrorists with ISIS ties invade our border and kill innocent Americans,” said Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokeswoman. “And there is no greater neglect than when Biden left hundreds of Americans behind and 13 brave US Service Members dead in Afghanistan.”
The former Republican president has made the Capitol attack a centerpiece of his campaign, praising the rioters and lamenting the treatment of “January 6th hostages” and suggesting he’d pardon them his first day back in office.
The ad opens with a video clip from an officer’s body-worn camera as he’s being attacked by a rioter outside the Capitol, as audio from Trump’s Jan. 6 speech plays in a voiceover: “Fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not gonna have a country anymore.”
The ad also includes clips of other officers being overrun on the steps of the Capitol, bicycle racks thrown at them and an officer in a riot-gear helmet shouting for help as he’s squeezed between doors to a Capitol tunnel entrance, where of rioters and the police battled for hours on Jan. 6.
More:Former Capitol security officials surprised by military-style Jan. 6 attack
The violent attack on Jan. 6 was prompted by former Trump’s unproven claims that the 2020 election was stolen. That day, hundreds of Trump supporters broke into the Capitol building, ransacked offices and battled police in an effort to disrupt the certification of Biden’s victory by lawmakers.
The insurrection did not stop that day until Trump posted a video telling his supporters, “Go home. We love you. You’re very special.” Special Counsel Jack Smith has indicted Trump for trying to overturn the 2020 election.
More than 140 police officers reported injuries from the attack, including an officer expected to lose his eye, another who was stabbed with a metal fence stake, and one who suffered a heart attack after being attacked multiple times with a stun gun, according to a report by the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Seven people ultimately died, including some by apparently natural causes, and two officers who died by suicide days after the siege.
More than 1,450 individuals have been charged in nearly 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the Capitol building, including more than 500 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
More:Several Pa. House Republicans boo officers who defended Capitol on Jan. 6
More:Is Trump shielded from criminal charges as an ex-president? A nation awaits word from Supreme Court
Swanson, a Democrat, said in an interview he remembers listening to Trump’s speech earlier in the day on Jan. 6 and then watching in horror a short time later as the police holding the security lines around the Capitol building were overrun, comparing it to people overrunning a stadium field.
“I was listening to the speech, and it was like everyone anticipated something bad was going to happen,” he recalled.
“When it tipped over, I was watching people climb the walls and break windows. Like, I took my boys in eighth grade to tour the Capitol. … At that point when it tipped over, there was no do-overs. There was no take-backs. I was crushed. I cannot believe this is happening. I think that day will unfortunately live on as a scar on our nation.”
Swanson suggested it won’t be the last ad from the Biden campaign featuring footage of him.
A team followed Swanson around for three days in May and asked him in part about his decision in May 2020 to remove his riot gear and walk with Flint demonstrators who were protesting after the death of George Floyd, he said.
Swanson has suggested he’s interested in running for governor in 2026. He’s up for reelection this year after serving as Genesee County’s sheriff for the last five years.
mburke@detroitnews.com