FILE - Rioters stand outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2021. A new poll shows that about half of Americans say former President Donald Trump should be charged with a crime for his role in what happened on Jan. 6. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Minnesota Republican state legislative candidate Jessica Johnson touts public safety in her bid for power, even though she has made social media posts defending Jan. 6 rioters and questioning the legitimacy of 9/11.

In 2010, Johnson made a since-deleted Facebook post explaining an altercation she had with a state trooper where she said, “F the police!”

Facebook screenshot taken on Oct. 10

 

More recently on Jan. 7, 2021, Johnson made posts defending the Jan. 6 rioters who attacked Capitol police officers. When someone commented that Trump encouraged the previous day’s attack, Johnson responded by saying it was a lie and that Trump “encouraged people to stand up for their freedoms.”

Facebook screenshot taken on Oct. 10

 

Five Capitol police officers died in the aftermath of their defense of the U.S. Capitol, including four who committed suicide in the weeks and months after the events. One rioter, Ashli Babbitt, also died during the riot.

Johnson has also questioned the legitimacy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks when she posted a video in 2014 titled “9 11 – NO PLANES-VIDEO FAKERY – Watch for proof !!”

Johnson also responded to a comment from a skeptical user by saying “it was not aluminum airplanes that took out steel buildings. Ask science.”

Facebook screenshot taken on Oct. 10

 

Facebook screenshot taken on Oct. 10

 

Twenty-three NYPD officers and 343 firefighters/paramedics died on 9/11, while hundreds more died or became sick in the years after due to health complications. Numerous conspiracy theories about the attacks like Johnson’s have been repeatedly debunked in the decades since the attacks.

Johnson’s Facebook profile has been mostly wiped outside of a handful of posts published in a range from 2013 to last week. She did not respond to a request for comment.

On her campaign website, Johnson says she draws from “an education in law enforcement” for her public safety platform. An ad posted to Johnson’s Facebook page also highlights her law enforcement education in a call to not abandon first responders.

Johnson has been endorsed by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officer Association, who also did not respond to a request to comment on whether they still support her in light of her previous posts.

Johnson is the Republican nominee facing incumbent state Rep. Josiah Hill (D-Stillwater), who currently represents District 33B in the Minnesota House of Representatives.