A Republican candidate for Minnesota attorney general has said that at least two members of her staff participated in the events of January 6 and described the people at the Capitol on that day as "heroes."
Lynne Torgerson made the remarks at a forum for GOP primary candidates for attorney general. At the event, hosted by the Chisago County Republican Party on January 25, she also described the election of President Joe Biden as "somewhat of a coup."
As Congress met in joint session on January 6, 2021, to certify the Electoral College votes from the presidential election, supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol.
It is not clear if Torgerson's staffers took part in the riot or simply attended the other events held on that day, such as the rally addressed by Trump.
Torgerson told the Chisago County forum: "OK, January 6. I guess first I should note that I have at least two people on my staff who were participants in January 6."
She went on: "And quite honestly, it seemed at the time that the election of Joe Biden was actually somewhat of a coup, and that truth is the person who won was President Trump.
"And so, I think in a lot of ways, the people at the Capitol on January 6 were heroes and trying to preserve who was actually elected," she said.
MN GOP Attorney General candidate Lynne Torgerson: "At least two people on my staff were participants in Jan. 6."
— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) February 10, 2022
Calling the rioters "heroes," she adds, "It seemed ... that the election of Joe Biden was somewhat of a coup and that the person who won was President Trump." pic.twitter.com/QfCqScVzDa
She did not offer any more details about her staff's actions on January 6, 2021. Before the storming of the Capitol, Trump held a rally near the White House, which was attended by a large crowd of his supporters.
Protesters had gathered outside the Capitol before Trump's speech had ended. Rioters later forced their way into the Capitol, leading to a pause in the certification process and the building being placed on lockdown as lawmakers sheltered for their protection.
Torgerson's comments were first highlighted by Heartland Signal, a news outlet linked to Chicago's Progressive Talk 820 AM.
Another attorney general candidate who spoke at the forum, Doug Wardlow, said: "As your attorney general, I will stand up for your constitutional rights. I will go to bat for people that were improperly prosecuted, with respect to the January 6 incident, and we will push back against the federal government."
"I am the only candidate, by the way, who knows how to do this because I've been doing it for years," he added.
Wardlow was the Republican candidate for attorney general in 2018 and was defeated by Democrat Keith Ellison. Ellison is expected to run for re-election this year.
The Republican Party is divided over the issue of the the January 6 riot. A number of GOP senators have criticized the Republican National Committee for censuring Reps Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger—the only Republicans on the House Select Committee that is investigating the events of that day.
Newsweek has asked the Torgerson campaign for comment.
