Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) claimed on Friday ahead of the No Kings protests planned across the country that Democratic rallies “get very violent” while Republican ones “do not.”
Mullin joined Newsmax on Friday morning and reacted to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) claiming he doesn’t know yet whether he will attend the protest, but defending them as critics of this administration exercising their constitutionally-protected free speech.
“I always get upset first of all when someone throws in the Constitution. Okay, give me where the Constitution, okay, we’ll talk about the First Amendment. Free speech is free speech, but when it turns to violence, which a lot of times these rallies go to, and the very people that’s going to have to protect the property are going to be federal officers, especially inside Washington, D.C.,” the senator said.
Mullin went on to seemingly reference 2020 Black Lives Matter protests that turned violent when he claimed that Democratic “rallies” can get “very violent.” He argued Republican rallies “do not” get violent — without mentioning the 2021 Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
“We know their rallies get very violent. Ours do not. Republican sides do not, they’ll burn down buildings, they will riot offices, they will riot stores, they turn over cars, they vandalize police cars,” Mullin said. “And so that’s not protected in the Constitution. So when someone throws out the Constitution, I want them to understand what it is that they’re actually describing.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson has described the No Kings protests as “hate America rallies.”
“I encourage you to watch — we call it the ‘Hate America Rally’ — that’ll happen Saturday,” he said. “Let’s see who shows up for that. I bet ya see pro-Hamas supporters, I bet you you see Antifa-types, I bet ya see the Marxists in full display. The people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.”
Watch above via Newsmax.