U.S. Senate Candidate O’Dea: “I Had Friends That Were Out at the January 6”
GOP Senate candidate Joe O’Dea is facing criticism for his close association to one of his top donors who spread election conspiracy theories and attended the January 6th insurrection.
O’Dea continues to be an apologist for Trump and he:
Said he would vote for Trump if he were the Republican nominee in 2024.
Believes Trump bears no blame for the January 6th insurrection.
Called the Mar-a-Lago investigation a “political stunt.”
Read more below from Colorado Times Recorder:
Colorado Times Recorder: U.S. Senate Candidate O’Dea: ‘I Had Friends That Were at January 6’
During a Republican U.S. Senate candidate forum in February, Denver businessman and U.S. Senate candidate Joe O’Dea said he had friends who attended January 6, characterized it as a “rally,” and compared participants to those who took part in nationwide police brutality protests that occurred during the summer of 2020.
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However, Wendy Ferland Meritt — the wife of O’Dea’s business partner who is a maximum donor to O’Dea’s campaign and has hosted fundraisers for him — is an election fraud conspiracy theorist who admitted that she attended not only attended the Jan. 6 ‘Stop the Steal’ rally, but then “walked down to Capitol.” In a tweet from her since-deleted account, she describes police taking down barricades.
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O’Dea has said he does not want Trump to run for President again in 2024, citing Trump’s response to the Jan. 6 riot as one of the main reasons behind his opinion. However O’Dea has also said he would vote for Trump if he is the Republican nominee.
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During a Republican Senate candidate debate in June, O’Dea said that Trump did not deserve any blame at all for the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
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O’Dea supports Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) over Trump to be the GOP presidential nominee in 2024. DeSantis has said the congressional probe into the Jan. 6 riot is a witch hunt.
O’Dea’s opponent in November is incumbent U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO). Bennet has been outspoken about criticizing the Jan. 6 riot and the role Trump had in inciting it. In January, on the year anniversary of the riot, Bennet made a speech on the Senate floor giving his perspective.