‘Be Factual’: CNN’s David Urban Hits Back On Panel, Says Not All J6 Attendees Were Violent

CNN’s David Urban hit back on the network’s panel Monday evening, defending Jan. 6 attendees by arguing that not all of the people involved were violent.

Following the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the Department of Justice prosecuted more than 1,200 individuals from nearly all of 50 states in connection with the attack. On “The Source with Kaitlan Collins,” Urban said that while he believes those who attacked Capitol Police during the incident should be jailed, he said that there were also attendees who had been recorded peacefully walking through the building.

“This issue of democracy in January 6 has been litigated not only in the court system for the big, long investigation. Maybe someone heard of it — you know, Jack Smith. I don’t know if anybody remembers that name,” Urban said. “That went on for years. Nothing came of it. It kind of fell apart.”

“We had an entire election where Democrats ran on democracy in January 6, and the American people dismissed it as well. So I think, hopefully, right, I agree with the beating of police officers,” Urban added. “Donald Trump said it himself. Violence never acceptable. Those people that beat the police officers, that injured a police officer, should go to jail. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts. But there’s a completely different story here on the other side of the Capitol, where the stanchions were moved, where people were allowed in, doors were opened.”

While some of the video footage from the attacks shows people breaking into the Capitol and confronting officers, other clips have shown attendees peacefully walking through the building.

CNN host Kaitlan Collins interrupted Urban to say that police officers on duty that day testified to Congress that they had been “outnumbered,” which led to protesters walking into the building. Urban, however, pushed back, telling the group and viewers to “watch the video” themselves. President Joe Biden’s former communications director, Kate Bedingfield, said that the CNN contributor couldn’t “discount that there was violence that day.”