Tag: Trump incited his supporters to sedition

Republicans Splinter Over Whether to Make a Full Break From Trump

New York Times logo

Republicans face a disturbing prospect: that Wednesday’s Trump-inspired violence could linger for decades as a stain on the party.

WASHINGTON — President Trump not only inspired a mob to storm the Capitol on Wednesday — he also brought the Republican Party close to a breaking point.

Having lost the presidency, the House and now the Senate on Mr. Trump’s watch, Republicans are so deeply divided that many are insisting that they must fully break from the president to rebound.

Those divisions were in especially sharp relief this week when scores of House Republicans sided with Mr. Trump in voting to block certification of the election — in a tally taken after the mob rampaged through the Capitol — while dozens of other House members and all but eight Republican senators refused to go along. Continue reading.

Barr: Trump committed ‘betrayal of his office’

“Orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable,” Barr said in a statement obtained by POLITICO.

Former Attorney General William Barr accused President Donald Trump on Thursday of a “betrayal of his office” — the latest rebuke of the president by a former high-ranking administration official after pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol. 

“Orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable,” Barr said in a statement obtained by POLITICO. “The President’s conduct yesterday was a betrayal of his office and supporters.”

Barr’s criticism on Thursday was not his first public comment on the chaos at the Capitol. As the president’s supporters breached the building on Wednesday afternoon, he released a statement through his spokesperson that did not refer to Trump by name. Continue reading.

Poll: Majority says Trump bears responsibility for Capitol riot

More than 6 in 10 respondents to a POLITICO/Morning Consult flash survey say Trump was at least somewhat responsible for the violence on Wednesday.

Apart from the rioters themselves, voters hold President Donald Trump most responsible for the events that provoked his supporters to storm the Capitol on Wednesday, according to a new, flash POLITICO/Morning Consult poll — and a majority of respondents also say he bears the blame for the resulting violence.

The poll, conducted from Wednesday evening through Thursday morning, shows 63 percent of registered voters believe Trump is at least “somewhat” responsible “for the events that led to” the chaos at the Capitol. Roughly half of respondents, 49 percent, say Trump is “very” responsible.

Lawmakers were forced to shelter in place as both chambers of Congress went into lockdown amid the siege, which resulted in four deaths. The rioters sought to halt the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory after Trump had encouraged them to march on the Capitol earlier Wednesday. Continue reading.

Rudy Giuliani Called For ‘Trial By Combat’ Before Wednesday’s Violence

But now he seems to have forgotten.

Selective amnesia is spelled R-U-D-Y.

Hours before a terrorizing mob overran the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani clambered on stage and urged the very same crowd that would later turn violent to embrace “trial by combat.”

The Trump supporters, gathered for a “Save America” rally, more than took him up on it. Continue reading.

John Kelly: I would vote to remove Trump

The former White House chief of staff also denounced members of the administration for not rejecting the president’s norms-shattering actions in recent years.

Former White House chief of staff John Kelly said on Thursday he would vote to remove President Donald Trump from office if he were still part of the administration.

Speaking with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Kelly said Cabinet members should meet to discuss the president’s role in the Capitol riots on Wednesday. When Tapper asked whether he would have voted to remove Trump, Kelly responded, “Yes, I would.”

Kelly has at times criticized the president since leaving the White House in 2019. But his interview on Thursday was the first time he openly endorsed the president’s removal. He also denounced members of the administration for not pushing back against Trump’s norms-shattering actions over the past two years, and said he wasn’t surprised by the president’s words egging on the storming of the Capitol. Continue reading.

Shellshocked GOP ponders future with Trump

The Hill logo

Shellshocked Republicans on Thursday said President Trump’s grip on the party is significantly weaker after he incited a mob to attack the Capitol, but some questioned whether their party would be free of his hold anytime soon.

The challenges to Trump are clearly mounting. There is chatter his Cabinet could invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him, an idea favored by at least one GOP lawmaker. Tensions between Trump and his long loyal vice president are clear, and there is evident anger in the Senate GOP with the president.

National Republicans interviewed by The Hill said Trump may have permanently alienated millions of center-right voters who were disgusted by Wednesday’s ugly scene. Continue reading.

An Organizer Of The Trump Boat Parade That Sank A Family’s Boat Was Arrested In The DC Insurrection Mob

Kristina Malimon was arrested on charges of unlawful entry and violating curfew.

One of the organizers of the Trump boat parade that sank a family’s boat in Portland, Oregon, in August was arrested Wednesday in the attempted coup on the Capitol.

Kristina Malimon, 28, was arrested on charges of unlawful entry and violating curfew. Her mother, Yevgeniya Malimon, 54, was also arrested on the same charges.

Malimon is the vice chair for the Young Republicans of Oregon. According to her bio on the organization’s website, she is also an ambassador to Turning Point USA and Liberty University’s pro-Trump think tank, the Falkirk Center. She is also listed as a delegate for the Multnomah County Republican Party. Continue reading.

Cabinet members Betsy DeVos, Elaine Chao, other Trump officials resign over Capitol violence

The officials included those in prominent positions in the White House, and staff members who have been working in the Trump administration since the beginning of the president’s term in 2017.

Several Trump administration officials have announced that they are resigning after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, temporarily disrupting Congress as it was certifying Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.

The officials included those in prominent positions in the White House, and staff members who have been working in the Trump administration since the beginning of the president’s term in 2017. Some of the resignations came hours after President Donald Trump openly encouraged his supporters to go to the Capitol to protest what he has falsely claimed was a stolen election. The moves are being made with less than two weeks remaining in Trump’s term.

Here is a list of the administration officials who have resigned. Continue reading.

‘Nothing can stop what’s coming’: Far-right forums that fomented Capitol riots voice glee in aftermath

Washington Post logo

Online rage and real-world violence collided in the siege, with deadly consequences: “It’s a new age of terrorism that can’t exist without the Internet.”

Men wearing camouflage shirts began building a makeshift defensive camp outside the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon. They moved barricades and green fencing into a circle, and then pulled helmets from a crate and donned goggles in preparation for a clash that had been brewing for weeks and, arguably, for years on far-right forums devoted to President Trump.

“TheDonald.win, that’s where it’s at,” said one of the men, referring to the website where defiant talk, conspiracy theories and tips on how best to lay siege to Washington have grown since Trump lost the Nov. 3 election.

The comment underscored the potent, interactive role between the online and offline worlds in Wednesday’s breach of the Capitol. Violent talk on far-right forumsfomented violent real-world action, which was then captured by smartphones, uploaded and celebrated on the same forums. The boundaries between the digital and analog all but disappeared as rage, provocation and gloating bounced back and forth, again and again. Continue reading.

Trump’s remarks before Capitol riot may be investigated, says acting U.S. attorney in D.C.

Washington Post logo

The top federal prosecutor in D.C. said Thursday that President Trump was not off-limits in his investigation of the events surrounding Wednesday’s riot at the U.S. Capitol, saying “all actors” would be examined to determine if they broke the law.

Asked if federal agents and prosecutors will look at the incendiary statements made by speakers at Trump’s rally shortly before a mob of his supporters breached security at the Capitol and wreaked havoc inside, acting U.S. attorney Michael R. Sherwin said: “Yes, we are looking at all actors here, not only the people that went into the building, but . . . were there others that maybe assisted or facilitated or played some ancillary role in this. We will look at every actor and all criminal charges.”

Asked specifically if that included Trump, who had urged the crowd to “fight like hell” before the rioting began, Sherwin replied: “We are looking at all actors here, and anyone that had a role, if the evidence fits the element of a crime, they’re going to be charged.” Continue reading.