Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) pushed back on allegations of racism on Monday after saying in an interview late last week that he was not “concerned” about the Capitol rioters on Jan. 6 because unlike Black Lives Matter and antifa protesters, the mostly white Trump supporters “were people that loved this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break the law.”

“There was nothing racial about my comments, nothing whatsoever,” Johnson insisted. “This isn’t about race, this is about riots.” He said he found it “shocking” that anyone would take what he considered “completely innocuous” comments and “use the race card” against him. Once again, Johnson downplayed the threat of domestic terrorism from Trump supporters while emphasizing the violence from “left-wing anarchists” before saying he “condemns” any form of “lawlessness.”