Ronchetti Refuses to Denounce Violent Extremist Groups Behind January 6th Insurrection

As New Mexicans are tuning into the congressional hearings on the January 6th insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, New Mexico GOP nominee for governor Mark Ronchetti is refusing to condemn the violent, right-wing extremist groups responsible for leading the attack on the Capitol.

Just a week before the hearings began, Ronchetti was asked in an interview about his stance on extremist groups like the Three Percenters and Oath Keepers.

SourceNM writes that, in response, Ronchetti, “did not denounce them, and instead, he seemed to agree with the host’s opinion that these groups are unfairly criticized.”

Ronchetti shifted the blame away from the hateful groups, despite the fact they’re considered extremist groups by both the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center, and that, so far, 6 members of the Three Percenters and 11 members of the Oath Keepers have been either charged or indicted on conspiracy charges in the January 6th attack.

DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy said, “It’s not up to debate who these far-right extremist groups are and what they stand for. Mark Ronchetti’s refusal to label them as the threat to public safety and our democracy that they are shows whose side he’s on — and just how dangerous he really is for New Mexico.”