Political actors cite past rival wrongdoings and historical rebellions to justify current violence.

Evidence

Expedient historical comparison also serves self-exonerating purposes. For example, apologists for the lawlessness of political figures they support cite transgressions by past rival administrations as vindication. In civic and international conflicts, aggressors are quick to point out that some nations, such as France and the United States, became democracies through violent rebellion against oppressive rule. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 391

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to contemporary whataboutism discourse and historical memory studies; the apologia structure mirrors rational-actor excuses. — connects to: Intermittent violent actors must be read against the full political context of their regime — Charles Tilly, Regimes and Repertoires, 220
• SHARE: The Reagan/Lafayette contra-aid justification is a deliciously specific example worth sending to anyone interested in political rhetoric.