Trump: Capitol rioters have been treated "unconstitutionally"

Former President Trump shared words of support Thursday with the families of people charged with attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Driving the news: "People have been treated unconstitutionally in my opinion and very, very unfairly, and we’re going to get to the bottom of it," Trump said in a video played during a fundraiser hosted by the Patriot Freedom Project, which assists those charged in the riot.

• "You look at other groups which have done terrible things and virtually nothing happened to them," he said. "So, it's a very unfair situation."
• He also spoke of the "weaponization of the Department of Justice," saying we can't let this happen, and warned the country is "going communist."

Between the lines: Since Trump declared his 2024 candidacy last month, his embrace of extremists is under the spotlight once again, causing renewed outrage over the former president's support of violent rioters and white nationalists.

• Some in his own party, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), are turning their backs on him, saying that anyone who meets with antisemites or white supremacists is "highly unlikely to ever be elected president of the United States."

Context: The statement comes just days after outrage over Trump's dinner with white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

Of note: Trump's video message was shared the same week Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right militia group Oath Keepers, was found guilty of seditious conspiracy for his actions in the lead-up to and day of the Capitol riot.