Lincoln Project Co-Founder: Capitol Riot ‘Profoundly More Dangerous’ Than 9/11 Attacks

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Lincoln Project co-founder Steve Schmidt claimed on Wednesday that the Capitol riot is a more dangerous event for the future of the United States than the September 11 terrorist attacks were and is likely to cause more deaths.

“The 1/6 attack for the future of the country is a profoundly more dangerous event than the 9/11 attacks,” Schmidt said. “And in the end, the 1/6 attacks are likely to kill a lot more Americans than were killed in the 9/11 attacks, which will include the casualties of the wars that lasted 20 years following it.”

Schmidt’s comments came during the Lincoln Project’s virtual town hall to discuss the group’s mission to “defend democracy in 2022.” The Lincoln Project is an anti-Trump group of ex-Republicans founded by Schmidt, George Conway, John Weaver and Rick Wilson.

“We have had periods of political violence in this country, and I believe we’re on the edge of another one, tragically,” Schmidt added. “We have to fight back against it at the ballot box.”

Five people died in the January 6 riot, when a mob of former president Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

According to the FBI 2,977 people were killed by the 9/11 terror attacks when the terrorist group al-Qaeda crashed two planes into New York City’s World Trade Center and a third into the west side of the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. The attack also included the hijacking of a fourth airliner, United Airlines Flight 93. The jet crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pa., as passengers and the crew attempted to regain control of the flight.

Schmidt’s comments came after MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd made similar remarks on Wednesday, saying that the Capitol riot was “worse than 9/11” because it has divided the country.

“To me, though there was less loss of life on Jan. 6, Jan.6 was worse than 9/11 because it’s continued to rip our country apart and give permission for people to pursue autocratic means,” Dowd said.

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