CNN’s David Urban fired back at the network’s panel Monday night, defending those in attendance on Jan. 6, arguing that not everyone involved was violent.

After the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the Justice Department indicted more than 1,200 people in nearly all 50 states in connection with the attack. On “The Source with Caitlan Collins,” Urban said he believes those who attacked Capitol Police during the incident should be jailed, but that he did not agree with the video of them walking peacefully through the building. Some participants said that they had been.

“This issue of democracy on January 6th wasn’t just litigated in the court system because of the massive, long-running investigation. Maybe someone heard that — you know, Jack. Smith. I don’t know if anyone remembers that name,” Urban said. “It went on for years. Nothing came of it. It was kind of a collapse.”

“On January 6th, the Democratic Party held an election on the platform of democracy, but the American people also denied democracy. So, if possible, I agree with the police brutality.” Urban added. “Donald Trump himself said so. Violence. [is] Never accepted. Anyone who hits a police officer or injures a police officer should go to jail. There are no “ifs,” “ands,” or “buts.” But it was a completely different story here on the other side of the Capitol, where the columns were moved, people were allowed in, and the doors were opened. ”

Some video footage of the attack shows people breaking into the Capitol and confronting police, while other clips show shown Participants roamed peacefully around the building. (Related: From attacks on Trump voters to comparisons to the Holocaust: Here’s how Democrats react to J6 anniversary)

CNN host Caitlan Collins interrupted Urban to tell Congress that a police officer on duty that day was “outnumbered,” prompting protesters to enter the building. said. However, Mr. Urban refused and told the group and viewers to “watch the video” for themselves. Kate Bedingfield, President Joe Biden’s former communications director, said CNN contributors “cannot ignore that there was violence that day.”

“I don’t take that lightly,” Urban said. “There were some people in the crowd who were violent, but it’s not entirely true that the entire crowd was violent. I mean, look, let’s look at the prosecution…how many people have been identified by the FBI and the Department of Justice. Do you know if there have been any indictments? There are 1,500 people who have been indicted.”

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The group continued to argue over Urban’s comments, and CNN contributors continued to argue that those who attacked police officers should be jailed. Former Trump deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews asked if everyone in attendance should “lead by example.”

“But shouldn’t we use these people as an example?” asked Matthews. “Well, this was wrong. They shouldn’t be allowed to trespass.”

“Not everyone should be treated equally. They were violent criminals, right? They shouldn’t be treated equally,” Urban said.

Matthews went on to ask Urban whether some of the January 6 attendees should be pardoned, highlighting President-elect Donald Trump’s “promise.”

“He didn’t promise to forgive everyone. He said he would. He’s going to see it. [on a] It’s a case by case basis, but please base it on the facts. That’s the word. right? And the fact is, Ashli ​​Babbitt was the only one who died on January 6th,” Urban said.

In a December interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker, President Trump said said The host said he would look into the “individual cases” of those charged in the January 6 attack. In May 2023, President Trump told Collins that he intended to pardon “the vast majority” of people indicted in the federal government, but when asked about pardoning four indicted Proud Boys members, He added that he would consider filing a lawsuit.

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