DENVER —Hot on the heels of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, Colorado’s 6th Congressional District Representative Jason Crow went on national television to call for a cooling down of political rhetoric, but his own history of attacks against Trump, including in the past several weeks, sing a very different tune.
It’s part of a larger national debate where some – including members of the media – are questioning whether Democrats’ rhetoric against the 45th President of the United States since the 2020 election stirred the pot enough to lead to the events of July 13.
In a June 28 post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Crow acknowledges President Biden’s poor debate performance, then goes on to say: “Trump is a pathological liar and an existential threat to democracy. We know the damage he will do to our county. We can’t let him win.”
Similarly, in a July 15 interview, 9 News reporter Marshall Zelinger questions Crow about the meaning behind another X post from June 11 where Crow says “We can’t forget Jan. 6. We can’t forget Trump incited a mob to storm the capitol. We can’t forget Trump is a threat to democracy.”
Zelinger asked him what he meant by “we can’t forget.”
“I think it’s important we recognize what’s happened the last few years,” Crow said. “There will be an election in about three and a half months that determine with path we go. There are two very different visions for that. But we can both condemn violence and say it has no place.”
When Zelinger pushed him on the post, asking if that language was the type that could incite the response that occurred with the attempted assassination on July 13, Crow insisted his words could not prompt a violent reaction.
“I absolutely reject that notion,” Crow said.
Crow’s posts have long been vocal about his dislike of Trump, calling others into action to keep Trump out of office, yet he told Zelinger:
“I have always called for peace, for us to have civil discourse,” Crow said. “But we also need to be honest about what’s at stake in this election.”
But a review of activity on Crow’s X account over the last month show no posts about either “peace” or “civility.” Instead, he has doubled down on his urgent, and often vitriolic, message to keep Trump from getting elected.
- From June 13: “Trump, a convicted felon, returned to the Capitol for the first time since his Jan. 6 attack. His violent mob attacked congress, Republicans and Democrats. … Our system anticipated a despot like Trump, but it didn’t anticipate the submission of a political party.”
- From June 25: “Telling the truth matters. Respecting others matters. Trump does neither.”
- From June 27: Trump’s legacy was the normalization of political violence. He is unfit to serve.”
- From June 27: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them. Trump has shown us that he has no regard for truth or American values.”
- Also from June 27: “Trump incited an insurrection on January 6, full stop.”
Still, in a recent interview with Face the Nation, Crow attempted a 180-degree turn on the topic, saying everyone needs to “take a breather” that we are all “neighbors, friends, colleagues, family,” adding Democrat leadership did not tell him to say what he said, but that it was “his opinion.”
Crow said “enough is enough” after commenting that more events like the assassination attempt are possible.
“Violence could spiral out of control,” Crow said. “Pick up the phone. Walk out your door. Go talk to your neighbor. Go talk to your colleague. Go talk to your friends who don’t agree with you and tell them we can disagree.
“This is our time to come together. Let’s stop creating political moments and let’s start creating political change.”
The post from June 28 came with video of an interview Crow did with MSNBC in which he said there are “moments in which our democracy is at risk, and we are in one of those moments still,” using the Jan. 6, 2020, events as the catalyst for his remarks.
Crow could not be reached for comment.
