"Mastriano was at the insurrection," the reporter stated, bringing up Doug Mastriano, who is closing the gap between himself and Democrat Josh Shapiro in the race for Pennsylvania governor. "And he was photographed breaching one of the restricted areas. Is that okay?"
"Which area?" One of the young men on the panel asked. "Because I saw a video where capital officers were taking away barriers and unlocking doors for people."
"They opened the gates and let them in," said another man.
"So it shouldn't be disqualifying for an elected official if they participated in Janaury 6," the reporter asked incredulously.
The panel noted that Mastriano didn't hurt anyone, didn't strike anyone. A woman stated that the only person that died on that day was unarmed veteran Ashli Babbit, who was shot by a Capitol Police officer.
"That's the only one who died," a woman said.
When the reporter brings up an officer who died, Brian Sicknick, the panel corrects her and says that he died the following day, in his office from a heart attack, and not due to the events of the riot.
"So what do you make though, overall, of January 6, I mean, it was, watching that footage it was pretty disturbing. And there were people throwing excrement at the walls and it was our capital," the reporter asked.
"It looked a lot like Antifa's actions," a woman on the panel said.
"Except on a much smaller scale," a man said.
The young man pointed out that there were so many cities that burned during the summer o protests in 2020, such as Kenosha, Wisc. and Portland, Ore.
The panel affirmed that those who hurt others, or harmed property, should be prosecuted, but that protest is a "fundamental right as an American citizen, and people should not be held political prisoners because of it."
Another woman pointed out that these were similar tactics to those employed by the Stasi in East Germany during the communist era.
"They're using it as their Reichstag fire," the young man said.
"Do you think President Trump could have quelled the violence that day?" The reporter asked.
But the panel did not think so, they did not blame Trump for the actions of the rioters on that day.
One woman had been there on January 6, to witness what she thought would be her last chance to hear Trump speak.
"And then we all headed to the Capitol," she said, "cause he said let's go to the Capitol, peacefully." By the time they got there, after the speech was over, "it had already happened."
Others believed that leftist operatives had encouraged some of the mayhem after infiltrating the crowd.
