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On the anniversary of the tried Jan. 6 riot, Russian state TV reporter Denis Davydov was lurking on the Capitol, engaged on a particular that aired on Sunday evening. The printed featured a clip of Davydov approaching Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD)—a member of the Home choose committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot—with a query: “It's believed that Jan. 6 was a deliberate assault by the FBI and radical Democrats. Are you investigating this?” In response, Raskin cuts via the bullshit and tells Davydov, “Give my regards to Vladimir Putin.”
A yr earlier, Davydov had been embedded amongst the would-be insurrectionists, describing them as “rebels” and showcasing their bloody wounds on digital camera. State media protection that adopted included interviews with Russian-speaking bloggers who took half within the rally previous the riot—all in an effort to current the rioting as a false flag operation, arrange by the Democrats to question and discredit former U.S. President Donald Trump. The identical long-discredited propaganda narrative remains to be favored by the Kremlin’s pet networks.
With a Russian state media crew filming inside the Capitol constructing, Davydov identified the spot the place rioter Ashli Babbitt was shot. He launched Michael Leroy Byrd, the Capitol police officer who shot her, as “the black policeman who pulled the set off, however was by no means punished for taking pictures an unarmed particular person.” Davydov tracked down Babbitt’s mom, Michelle Witthoeft, asking her on digital camera whether or not anybody representing authorities ever apologized to her for the loss of life of her daughter. Witthoeft replied saying she acquired no apologies and insisted that somebody must pay for “murdering” Ashli.
The Sunday broadcast additionally featured ‘protection’ of a rally exterior a jail in Washington, D.C., the place a few of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists are being held. There, the Russian journalist interviewed Trump supporters who aired grievances about situations within the jailhouse. In the meantime, Russia is grappling with one more scandal involving accusations of grotesque torture in Russian prisons, condoned and directed by jail officers. When requested about it, Russian President Vladimir Putin had claimed that jail situations in Western nations, together with the US, are worse than in some third-world nations.
The title of the Rossiya-1 TV particular, “Stolen Elections: Half of People Nonetheless Don’t Consider in Biden’s Victory,” is aligned with a well-recognized narrative on Russian airwaves and social media platforms. Final week, Russian parliament member Alexey Pushkov wrote on his Telegram channel: “[U.S. President Joe Biden] will be unable to revive the previous picture of the US as a law-based, clear, democratic nation. Even earlier than, this picture was false, however after the scandalous elections of 2020 it collapsed utterly... America seems to be like a home of playing cards that's falling aside.”
This system showcased interviews with a number of Trump supporters who raged about “stolen elections” and alleged cases of “election fraud.” Sitting down with Russian state media, Arizona congressional candidate Jeff Zink described cases of “suspicious” election data he claimed to have personally noticed. Zink advised the Kremlin-funded state TV channel: “We all know that the elections have been stolen, so my son and I went to Washington on January sixth.” Zink’s son, Ryan Scott Zink, is going through federal costs of obstructing an official continuing, knowingly getting into or remaining in a restricted constructing, violent entry and disorderly conduct.
All through the printed, Davydov sympathetically downplayed the actions of Capitol rioters by claiming that they merely “determined to enter the temple of democracy,” describing the lawmakers below assault as “representatives hiding from their very own voters.” The state TV reporter described the Jan. 6 Fee as a committee “composed of Democrats and several other Republicans who hate Trump,” utilizing a clip from Fox Information to corroborate this angle.
Fox Information is among the most-frequently showcased American channels in Russia, unquestionably favored by state media. When Putin latched on to the protection of Ashli Babbitt—and Tucker Carlson reiterated the president’s questions on his present—Kremlin propagandists described it as a “bullseye” accomplishment for Moscow’s ongoing efforts to affect public opinion in the US.
The conclusion of the Jan. 6 particular on Russian state tv was simply as telling because the title of the section. Davydov famous: “Formally, Biden received the election, however he couldn't persuade the People of his honest victory… A yr has handed, the 2 Americas—supporters and opponents of Trump—stay in hand-to-hand fight and proceed to conflict.” Davydov concluded his reportage on an ominous word: “Within the subsequent presidential election, neither facet will comply with admit defeat.”