Looking back to 2021, conservatives need to remember where Ben Shapiro stood as America grappled with the fallout of the January 6 Capitol protest.

In the aftermath of the January 6 Capitol incident, Ben Shapiro, who at the time was a prominent figure in right-wing media, surprisingly did not rally for the civil liberties of the pro-Trump supporters caught in the federal investigation. Instead, he advocated for their disenfranchisement and incarceration under the Biden administration’s directives.

Appearing on Real Time with Bill Maher, Shapiro expressed his stance clearly, stating that approximately 1,000 of those involved in the Capitol breach “will end up rotting in prison, as they should.” He emphasized that while the crowd was large, the number of actual perpetrators was around a thousand, asserting, “That is not making light of the evil of those people, who all will end up rotting in prison, as they should.”

In stark contrast, a number of Republican lawmakers vocally criticized the harsh treatment faced by January 6 defendants. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, speaking on Newsmax, denounced the prosecutions as “outrageous,” arguing that the conditions faced by these defendants were worse than those of illegal immigrants and likening them to “political prisoners of war.”

Similarly, Representative Matt Gaetz raised concerns on the House floor regarding the “14,000 hours of tape” that remained undisclosed to the public. He suggested that these withheld recordings might reveal the involvement of deep state informants or federal agents in the events of January 6. Gaetz questioned, “Whether they were connected in any way, directed any way—by federal agencies. It raises great suspicion that we are unable to get access to this information as members of Congress.”

As debates within the conservative movement about the impact and implications of January 6 continue, it is crucial to consider Ben Shapiro’s role in supporting the suppression of due process. In contrast, other lawmakers championed the fight for fundamental civil rights, positioning themselves against what they perceived as an overreach by the establishment.