Rep. Madison Cawthorn calls Jan. 6 rioters 'political prisoners,' suggests he wants to 'try and bust them out' of jail

• Rep. Madison Cawthorn likened pro-Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol to 'political prisoners.'
• Speaking of the rioters, Cawthorn suggested he wanted to 'go and try and bust them out' of jail.
• The congressman also suggested there would be 'bloodshed' if elections 'continue to be stolen.'

At an August 29 event hosted by the Macon County Republican Party in Franklin, NC, Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn referred to jailed January 6th rioters as "political prisoners," and suggested he wanted to "try and bust them out of jail."

During the event, the congressman spoke with attendees about the crisis in Afghanistan, COVID-19 vaccines, and conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election, according to a video posted on the party's Facebook page.

"What are you doing to support the 535 Americans that were held captured in - from January 6?" asked an attendee, apparently referring to pro-Trump rioters that remain in police custody.

"Political hostages!" Cawthorn declared, saying his office was working on trying to figure out more about the situation. "When we are seeking answers, [the federal government is] giving us the biggest runaround that you possibly could imagine."

"The big problem is, we don't actually know where all the political prisoners are," continued Cawthorn. "So if we were to actually be able to go and try and bust them out- and let me tell you, the reason why they're taking these political prisoners is because they're trying to make an example," he said, cutting himself off.

"When are you going to call us to Washington again?" asked another attendee, prompting applause from the group and a grin from Cawthorn.

"That- we are actively working on that one," replied Cawthorn. "We have a few plans in motion I can't make public right now, but this is something that we're working on. There are a lot of Republicans who don't want to talk about this."

Cawthorn went on to claim that "536 people are being held in solitary confinement" and are being denied "religious freedoms."

Luke Ball, communications director for Rep. Cawthorn, said in a statement that the congressman was referring to the issue of "political prisoners" when answering the question. "He is not actively working on any 'protest' or 'plan' to bring people to Washington. To assert otherwise would completely take his remarks out of context."

Ball also said that the congressman referred to the rioters as political prisoners because he does not believe they are receiving due process. "He was not advocating for any form of illegal action, only that they receive full due process," he wrote.

According to a searchable database created by Insider, 630 people have been charged in the Capitol insurrection so far, with charges ranging from assaulting law enforcement to disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds. The Guardian reported in May that at least 70% of those charged in the Capitol riot had been released.

Some of the rioters that violently stormed the Capitol on January 6 are in solitary confinement, though not as many as Cawthorn claims. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren criticized the practice in an April interview with POLITICO, saying it was "cruel and psychologically damaging."

Towards the end of his speech, Cawthorn appeared to dangle the threat of political violence.

"If our election systems continue to be rigged and continue to be stolen, it's gonna lead to one place and it's bloodshed," said Cawthorn. "And I will tell you, as much as I'm willing to defend our liberty at all costs, there's nothing that I would dread doing more than having to pick up arms against a fellow American. And the way that we can have recourse against that is that we all passionately demand that we have election security in all 50 states."

"In his comments, Congressman Cawthorn is CLEARLY advocating for violence not to occur over election integrity questions," Ball wrote when asked about Cawthorn's comments. "He fears others would erroneously choose that route and strongly states that election integrity issues should be resolved peacefully and never through violence."