President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Justice Department’s internal watchdog office, Don Berthiaume, repeatedly refused to use the word ‘attack’ to describe the violence on January 6, 2021, that disrupted Congress’ election certification vote.

Confirmation Hearing

During his confirmation hearing, Berthiaume told senators that he didn’t know if he would use the term ‘attack’ to describe the events of that day. Instead, he characterized it as ‘protests and such’ with ‘violence on the Capitol grounds.’ When asked by Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal if the Capitol was attacked on January 6, Berthiaume said there was ‘protest activity’ and ‘physical violence’ outside the Capitol, but he didn’t agree with the term ‘attack.’

Berthiaume’s stance on the January 6 protests has raised questions about his independence, particularly given his experience working as an attorney within the Justice Department’s inspector general office. He has also served in oversight roles at other agencies.

Earlier in the hearing, Blumenthal asked Berthiaume who won the 2020 election. Berthiaume responded that President Joe Biden had been ‘certified’ by the Senate as the winner, echoing a tactic used by other nominees.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.