'Criminals Singing the National Anthem': CNN's Jake Tapper Slams Trump Rallies With January 6 Participants

CNN anchor Jake Tapper has slammed Donald Trump for his ongoing support of the January 6 rioters, RadarOnline.com can report.

During an appearance on The Bulwark podcast, Tapper and host Tim Miller discussed Trump and their approach to covering the embattled ex-president's inflammatory comments.

"This is a genuine question ... I don't know how to deal with it," Miller began. "Because Donald Trump goes out and does a speech, and his speeches are just wheels off nonsense. And he does election fraud stuff every time, which is not true. He does January 6th apologia now every speech. He lies about Joe Biden — "

"Not just apologia!" Tapper interjected. "He starts his rallies with January 6th criminals singing the national anthem! And he calls them hostages — at a time when there are actual American hostages in Gaza! Yeah. No, you're downplaying it."

At a recent rally in Dayton, Ohio, an announcer instructed the crowd to "please rise" for the "horribly and unfairly treated Jan. 6 hostages." Trump saluted as the loudspeakers blasted a rendition of the national anthem performed by the "J6 Prison Choir," a group of defendants imprisoned for their roles in the attack on the United States Capitol.

"You see this spirit from the hostages? And that's what they are, hostages. They've been treated terribly and very unfairly, and you know that, and everybody knows that," Trump said during the event, calling them "unbelievable patriots."

Tapper went on to say that he's "not afraid of being called biased," but he does think that "the way that we cover Trump is something that takes thought and care."

"I think when he says something that is shocking, and new, it is worth discussion," Tapper explained. "Like I did yesterday with his comment that any American Jew who votes for Democrats — and Jews vote for the Democratic Party about 70% of the time, roughly — hates their religion, hates Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves."

"Which is an empirically, A: false statement. I know plenty of progressive Jews or Jewish Democrats who love Israel and love their religion. I'm even related to a few of them. And two: shocking, is the nicest thing I can say. So we covered that ... but I can’t ... I'm not going to hand over my show to Donald Trump."

Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence also criticized his characterization of imprisoned January 6 rioters as "hostages" in an interview on Face the Nation with CBS' Margaret Brennan last week, as RadarOnline.com previously reported.

"I think it’s very unfortunate at a time that there are American hostages being held in Gaza. That the president or any other leaders would refer to people that are moving through our justice system as hostages. it's just unacceptable!" Pence said.

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"The assaults on police officers, ultimately an environment that claimed lives, is something that I think was tragic. And I'll never diminish it," Pence added.