Democrats Doing Utmost to Exploit US Capitol Breach for Political Gain, Ex-FBI Agent Says

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Democratic Party and the mainstream media are trying their hardest to take full political advantage of the 6 January assault on the US Capitol, former FBI Special Agent and whistleblower Coleen Rowley told Sputnik.

"The Democrats are trying their hardest to make hay out of the incident to their respective advantage - and they can probably claim some success in scoring political points - but it remains to be seen how much farther they can go with it", Rowley, named one of TIME's Persons of the Year in 2002, said.

On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump announced that he was cancelling his 6 January news conference just as a Democratic-led congressional panel has escalated its probe into last year's attack on the Capitol. Trump said he cancelled the presser "in light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media".

Rowley said that although it dented American pride in its democratic institutions, she doubted the storming of the Capitol would have much of a lasting impact.

People gathered in DC on September 18 to participate in the Justice for J6 rally in support of people arrested after the January 6 riot

© Sputnik

The press from the very beginning, she added, has helped to exacerbate perceptions of the situation.

"Mainstream media did a good job, by constantly singling out the most bizarre/extremist elements, for instance, the multi-coloured 'Shaman', adorned with buffalo fur and horns, thus making the protesters look unhinged", Rowley said.

Moreover, most of those who made it inside the Capitol, she added, have gotten clobbered with lengthy sentences by judges. Hence, Rowley said she cannot foresee similar incidents in the near future.

"I doubt any repeat storming or destruction is likely to happen in the near future, but that doesn't mean the ever-more polarised country is not on the verge of a kind of 'civil war' - but that has many causes, and can hardly be attributed solely to the January 6 fiasco", Rowley said.

Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of the breach of the US Capitol by pro-Trump supporters who were attempting to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election results. At least five died as a result of the incident and more than 700 have been arrested for crimes related to the breach.