Ritchie Torres
Role at the time: U.S. Representative (D-NY)
Statement summary
Ritchie Torres criticised Piker for condemning America while declining to criticise Mao Zedong, saying Piker has a rule against criticising him.
“Piker condemns America while refusing to condemn one of the 20th century's deadliest dictators, instead lionizing Mao as one of the world's 'great leaders.'”
Daily Signal report on Democratic officials criticising Piker after the Axios interview, quoting Reps. Ritchie Torres and Josh Gottheimer. The piece states Gottheimer's remarks were made on X; it does not explicitly name the venue for Torres's remarks, which are introduced only as what Torres "added." Torres's characterisation of Piker's position on Mao is his own.
Why we used this label
Piker's assertion that America commits more terrorism than al-Qaeda, Torres rejects it by attacking its consistency, arguing Piker applies condemnation to the United States but not to Mao. He disputes the standard behind the comparison rather than the death-toll arithmetic.