A Trump-endorsed candidate for Arizona governor says the January 6 Capitol rioters were 'invited in by Capitol Police'

• Kari Lake, Trump's pick for Arizona governor, said the Capitol rioters were "invited in" by police.
• Lake is one of the candidates running in the 2022 gubernatorial election in Arizona.

A Trump-endorsed candidate for Arizona governor said the Capitol rioters were "invited in by Capitol Police," appearing to push an unproven narrative that the riot was nonviolent.

"They haven't been charged with a crime, and they were invited in by Capitol Police," Kari Lake said during an interview with the conservative news network RSBN at former President Donald Trump's October 10 rally in Des Moines, Iowa.

The US Capitol Police Force was criticized for its handling of the Capitol riot after some officers were seen posing with rioters for selfies and moving barricades aside for the mob to move forward.

But there is plenty of footage and records of officers' injuries to show how violent the breach of the Capitol was. During a July 27 House select committee on the attack, Capitol officers testified to the racism and physical harm they experienced during the January 6 riot.

The DOJ said that more than 1,000 assaults were committed against police officers. But conservative figures have repeatedly minimized the violence that took place during the riot. In May, Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde likened the Capitol rioters to tourists. And in September, North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn said in an interview that the rioters were mainly "normal people" who were "kind of wandering in."

At press time, 671 people had been charged with crimes in connection with the Capitol insurrection.

Lake did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Lake is a former TV anchor whom Trump endorsed after she called for his face to be added to Mount Rushmore. Separately, Lake also said she would not have certified the 2020 election results, and she's echoed Trump's claims of election fraud.

"Considering how much - already at the time - information we had about serious irregularities and problems with the election, I would not have certified it right then," Lake said in an interview with the right-wing news outlet One American News Network.

There is no evidence that the Arizona election results were unfairly skewed in favor of President Joe Biden. Arizona GOP officials testified before Congress on October 7 that Biden won "free, fair, and accurate elections," citing the results of a Republican-driven vote audit in Maricopa County. But Trump has continued to claim that the audit uncovered "undeniable evidence" of fraud.

In his endorsement of Lake, Trump wrote that "few can take on the Fake News Media like Kari." He added that she would make the "MAGA movement very proud."

Trump also took the opportunity to hit out at Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey during his endorsement of Lake's candidacy, saying Lake "will do a far better job than RINO Governor Doug Ducey - won't even be a contest!"

Ducey lost favor with the former president when he certified the state's election results while appearing to reject an incoming call from Trump. Ducey then tweeted on December 1 that all 15 counties had certified their results, and that Arizona wasn't going to "disenfranchise any voter."

"That's the law. I've sworn an oath to uphold it, and I take my responsibility seriously," Ducey tweeted.

Ducey can't run for reelection in the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election because of term limits. Lake is up against four other candidates for the GOP nomination.