'Treacherous insurrection' or 'small debacle?' Where NC gubernatorial hopefuls stand on Jan. 6 attack

Three years after supporters of then-President Donald Trump raided the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to keep Trump in power, debate over the insurrection lingers.

Posted 10:30 a.m. Jan 6 — Updated 10:30 a.m. Jan 6

Paul Specht

, WRAL state government reporter

It’s been three years since supporters of then-President Donald Trump raided the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to keep Trump in power after losing to President Joe Biden in the general election.

But debate over the insurrection in Washington, D.C., lingers. And now it’s emerging in the North Carolina governor’s race — a contest that could depend on Trump’s popularity and endorsement.

The Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol left five people dead and put Trump under scrutiny for his actions leading up to it. A federal grand jury indicted Trump for attempting to undermine the transfer of presidential power, and federal prosecutors have charged an additional 1,200 people for a range of crimes — from destruction of property to assaulting a police officer, to conspiracy to obstruct a congressional proceeding.

Trump is now asking voters to send him back to the White House because he believes the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him and that the criminal charges related to Jan. 6 are an abuse of power. North Carolina will be an important state in his campaign, and his battle cry has already been heard in the state, in speeches questioning election integrity and alleging voter fraud nationally.

If Trump becomes the GOP presidential nominee as expected, his rhetoric could motivate the same North Carolina voters that delivered him the state in 2020. Trump’s effect on Republicans down the ballot, though, is harder to predict. North Carolinians have a long history of supporting Republican presidential candidates and Democratic gubernatorial candidates in the same election, including in 2020. Campaign messaging about that election or the insurrection could repel moderate voters that a Republican might need to win the Governor’s Mansion.

“Republicans would be massively better off, focusing on those issues that have Joe Biden‘s approval rating in the tank," said Doug Heye, Washington-based Republican strategist from North Carolina and former communications director for the Republican National Committee. "That starts with the border, what things cost and the direction of the country. Other issues are at best distractions to be avoided."

In North Carolina, Democratic gubernatorial candidates — front-runner Josh Stein, the state;s Attorney General; and former state Supreme Court Justice Mike Morgan — have been clear about their views on the attack. In statements to WRAL, they denounced the raid and said those responsible should be held accountable in court.

North Carolina’s top Republican candidates, however, have been less clear.

Donald Trump has been indicted in special counsel’s 2020 election interference probe

A day after the raid, Robinson issued a statement blaming the attack on “rogue individuals.”

“These acts were not patriotic, they are not to be celebrated, they are to be condemned as strongly as those actions that we saw on the streets this past summer,” Robinson said in a statement at the time.

He added: “Our political leaders must carry some responsibility for creating this environment in which we find ourselves. The precedent of allowing violent acts without consequence has created a culture in which people believe that, when they want something changed, they can and should commit radical acts of violence in order to push an agenda that they believe in.”

Since then, Robinson and Trump have become allies. And as Trump has heaped praise on the lieutenant governor for his commanding speaking style, Robinson has downplayed the Jan. 6 attack and dismissed suggestions that Trump should be held accountable.

At a fundraiser last month at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Robinson stood by as Trump encouraged Republicans to donate to the lieutenant governor's campaign in a wide ranging speech during which Trump also aired doubts about election integrity, and touched on indictments against him and grievances against the U.S. Department of Justice.

During an appearance at the East Wake Republican Club last month, Robinson referred to Jan. 6, 2021, as a “minor thing,” according to audio of the speech obtained by WRAL. During an event in Mitchell County on July 21, 2022, Robinson referred to Jan. 6 as a “small debacle” and inaccurately said only “one unarmed white woman was killed.”

In a July 12, 2022, Facebook post, Robinson referred to those arrested during the Jan. 6 attack as “political prisoners.” At a fundraiser for state Rep. John Bell in 2021, Robinson cited Stein’s response to the Jan. 6 attacks when calling on the attorney general to resign. Robinson claimed Stein “wouldn't uphold the law against the people who burned down Raleigh, because those folks voted for it. But the people on Jan. 6, those are his political enemies, so I have to jail them.”

Shortly after the Jan. 6 attack, Stein’s office asked the public for information about North Carolinians who may have broken the law at the event.

“Last week’s violent insurrection violated one of the most sacred principles of our democracy — the peaceful transfer of power as a result of a free and fair election,” Stein said in a press release at the time. “As Attorney General, I will do everything in my power, alongside my state and federal counterparts, to hold accountable the people who participated in this violence and broke the law.”

Mike Lonergan, a spokesperson for Robinson’s campaign, declined to comment on Robinson’s past remarks about Jan. 6. Lonergan also questioned Stein’s commitment to preserving democracy because Stein touts an endorsement from former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who Lonergan characterized as a “notorious election denier.”

In a statement to WRAL, Stein said of Robinson: “His conspiracy theories are un-American.”

“Lieutenant Governor Robinson — who has a history of promoting political violence – downplayed the violent insurrection and falsely claims that Joe Biden ‘stole’ the 2020 election,” Stein said. “As Governor, I will be a fierce defender of democracy and the right to vote.”

Morgan, for his part, said the Jan. 6 attack constituted “a treacherous insurrection provoked by Donald Trump in a wretched selfish attempt, executed through misguided zealots, to retain the office of President.”

Robinson’s opponents in the GOP primary have tread lightly when discussing Jan. 6, offering murky statements or sidestepping them entirely.

“I know of thoughtful law-abiding citizens who went to the capitol that day,” said State Treasurer Dale Folwell, who’s challenging Robinson and former prosecutor Bill Graham for the GOP nomination. “I know what I saw and how I feel about what I saw. My hope is that confidence in our federal government can be restored in 2024 by attacking problems.”

Before running for governor, Graham spoke multiple times about Jan. 6 and Trump’s actions during appearances on WBT Radio’s “Good Morning BT with Bo Thompson and Beth Troutman.” On an Aug. 3 episode, a host asked Graham whether he thought Trump’s indictment related to Jan. 6 was “flimsy.” He said no, and explained the basis for the charge.

“If [Trump] wants to believe he won, he can do that. Despite the fact that it appears everybody told him that he didn’t win,” Graham said. “What I’m looking for is who on the Trump team told the man that he did win? I can’t find anybody.”

Graham offered a similar explanation of the indictment in an episode posted Aug. 2: “The issue is: that speech that he made over and over and over and over and over again resulted in people getting out of control and attacking the Capitol, impeding the government process,” Graham said. “And attempting to, in the fourth count of the indictment, curtail the rights and thwart the rights of people having voted.”

During a Jan. 6, 2022 episode of the WBT show, Graham blamed the violence on a “complete and utter misinformation and lack of leadership.”

When WRAL asked for his opinion on Jan. 6, Graham’s campaign claimed without evidence that Stein and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper attempted to “rig” the 2020 election in North Carolina.

"I can't speak to what happened in other states during the 2020 election. However, here in North Carolina, our Republican legislature fought back against attempts by Democrats Roy Cooper and Josh Stein to rig the election,” Graham said in a statement. “Our Republican legislature has implemented strong security measures for future elections. In 2020, President Donald Trump was rightfully declared the winner of our state and I have full faith in North Carolina's election system and process for 2024."

Jordan Monaghan, a spokesperson for Cooper, disputed Graham’s claim: “In North Carolina, we have had secure and fair elections despite repeated attempts by election-denying MAGA Republicans to undermine democracy, even when their candidates won,” Monaghan said, referring to far-right members of the GOP who identify with Trump’s “make America great again” mantra.

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