(WWJ) Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey says he regrets some eyebrow-raising comments he made on a leaked video, in which he's heard calling the deadly attack at the U.S. Capitol "a hoax."
Shirkey, R-Clarklake, made the remarks last week while meeting at a restaurant with leaders of the Hillsdale County GOP, as seen in a video posted on YouTube by the group R.O.A.R, or Reclaim Our American Republican.
In the video, Shirkey contends that the Capitol rioters were not supporters of then-President Donald Trump, despite what the FBI has confirmed to the contrary.
Shirkey says the siege was "a hoax from day one," and it was "all prearranged" and "funded," adding, "It's ridiculous; it was all staged."
In the same video, Shirkey boasts of the GOP's figurative sparking of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, saying: "We spanked her hard on the budget... We spanked her hard on appointments. We did everything we could constitutionally do."
He also says he thought about inviting Whitmer "to a fistfight on the Capitol lawn."
Shirkey on Tuesday issued the following statement, in which he did not specify exactly which comments he was apologizing for.
“I said some things in a videoed conversation that are not fitting for the role I am privileged to serve. I own that. I have many flaws. Being passionate coupled with an occasional lapse in restraint of tongue are at least two of them. I regret the words I chose, and I apologize for my insensitive comments," Shirkey said.
Following an investigation last month, FBI Assistant Director Steven D’Antuono said there is no evidence that antifa activists were involved in the violent riots on Jan. 6, debunking conspiracy theories pushed by right-wing pundits and lawmakers that leftists — not a pro-Trump mob — were responsible for the incident.
This apology from Shirkey comes the same day as the impeachment trial began for Trump, who stands accused of inciting his supporters to storm the Capitol to try to stop the certification of Joe Biden's victory.
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