Donald Trump's latest claims about the Jan. 6 rioters were subjected to a thorough fact check by CNN's Daniel Dale.
The president-elect has pledged to pardon at least some of his supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol four years ago, and he told reporters Tuesday during a rambling news conference at Mar-a-Lago that none of the insurrectionists carried a firearm – which Dale said was demonstrably false.
"Not true," Dale said. "In addition to the knives, tasers, batons, axes, chemical sprays [and] baseball bats, rioters carried guns during that Capitol riot. We've known this for years now. We know it because it's been proven in court over and over again."
More than 1,500 defendants have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot, including hundreds charged with misdemeanor offenses for entering the Capitol illegally, and more than 1,000 rioters have already been sentenced, with more than 700 getting at least some time in prison.
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"I have an incomplete list here," Dale said. "Rioter Mark Mazza brought two loaded handguns onto Capitol grounds – pleaded guilty, got five years in prison. Guy Reffitt was convicted for bringing a handgun to the Capitol, got more than seven years. Christopher Alberts also had a pistol on Capitol grounds – found guilty, got seven years, and the list goes on. Mario Mares had a gun that day, guilty. Roger Preacher had a gun that day, guilty. Jerod Thomas Bargar had a gun that day, guilty, and a man named John Banuelos has been charged for allegedly twice firing a pistol in the air, so using a gun on Capitol grounds during the riot. He has pleaded not guilty."
"So we will likely never get a complete inventory of the guns carried by rioters that day because, as we know, most of them were able to leave before later being tracked down and arrested," Dale added. "But we know for a fact, again, proven in court, there were guns in that angry and violent crowd."
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