Florida leads nation in Jan. 6 Capitol riot cases
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Florida has more citizens involved in federal cases regarding the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol than any other state by far.
Why it matters: A majority of Americans expect a repeat in the next few years of something like the deadly attack — and just half say they now have faith in American democracy, according to a new Axios poll.
- Eyes will be on Florida as Americans fear this could happen again.
Flashback: Capitol Police set up a regional office in Tampa over the summer, though a spokesperson for the department tells Axios the office was planned "long before Jan. 6, 2021."
- In June, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist (D- St. Petersburg), Gov. Ron DeSantis' opponent for re-election, called on the governor to investigate Florida's role in the attack.
- But DeSantis ignored that and similar calls to action, instead using Floridians' skepticism of Biden's win to pass tougher election laws and even propose an election police force.
What they're saying: "People pledged allegiance to (Trump) rather than to our Constitution and history will judge them harshly," U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa) told the Tampa Bay Times.
- Florida Republican Party chairman and Sarasota senator Joe Gruters said of the riots that killed five people: "I think President Trump has a lot of valid points, and I think there was fraud, and he brought up the issue. As a result of him championing all these issues, we've had historic election integrity reform all across the country, and as a result, we're much better off," per the Times.