Tag: Trump insurrection

McConnell won’t reprise role as chief Trump defender

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Senate Republican sources say they do not expect Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to reprise his role as one of President Trump’s principal defenders in a future Senate impeachment trial.

A Republican official said McConnell has made it clear to his allies that he’s done defending Trump and that the Senate GOP leader hasn’t spoken to the president since December.

McConnell had given a speech sharply breaking with Trump over the election — which the GOP leader tellingly said had not been that close — moments before the Capitol was overtaken by a mob. Aides and police later had to help McConnell, 78, as he and other senators were evacuated. Continue reading.

Trump was ‘pleased’ by Capitol siege — until aides warned he has ‘legal exposure’: NYT reporter

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The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman has been reporting extensively on the January 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol Building and President Donald Trump’s response to it. Haberman discussed her reporting during a January 12 appearance on CNN’s “New Day,” telling hosts Alisyn Camerota and John Berman that Trump was initially “pleased” with what we he saw on television.

The Times reporter told Camerota and Berman that Trump “was engaging with aides while this was all going on. They were interrupting, telling him that he had to do something. And they were interrupting, telling him the Capitol was being overrun by his supporters. He was well aware of it, he was watching it. He was pleased because it was people fighting on his behalf. He was pleased because he liked the scene, he was pleased because it was delaying the certification of the electoral college vote….. He just didn’t want to do anything.”

View the post here.

House Minority Leader McCarthy exploded at Trump for claiming ‘antifa’ was to blame for Capitol riot: report

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While Americans all over the United States watched in horror as angry Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, President Donald Trump reportedly continues to place blame elsewhere. And when the president claimed antifa was to blame for the deadly rioted he, himself, incited, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) pushed back on Trump’s claim, Axios report. Now, details are emerging about the Republican lawmaker’s heated call with the president.

According to Axios, McCarthy spoke with Trump on Monday, Jan. 12, where he reportedly stood his ground and reminded the president that the 2020 election is “over.”

During the 30-minute call, Trump allegedly deflected and peddled conspiracy theories about the election and what transpired at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. As Trump continued his claims of widespread voter fraud, McCarthy is said to have grown “exasperated” with the president. Continue reading.

Prosecutors building sedition, conspiracy charges against some Capitol rioters

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The Department of Justice is working to build sedition and conspiracy charges against some of the rioters who stormed the Capitol last week, the top federal prosecutor for Washington, D.C., said Tuesday.

Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney for D.C., said in a press conference that he has assembled a team of national security attorneys to explore some of the harshest charges his office could pursue in the wake of the riot that overran the Capitol and left five people dead Wednesday.

“Just yesterday, our office organized a strike force of very senior national security prosecutors and public corruption prosecutors,” Sherwin told reporters. “Their only marching orders from me are to build seditious and conspiracy charges related to the most heinous acts that occurred in the Capitol.” Continue reading.

Two Big Banks Sever Ties With Trump Organization Over Capitol Riot

President Donald Trump may not see the error of his ways but some of the United States’ largest banks are making it known they strongly disagree with his actions.

According to The New York Times, Deutsche Bank is distancing itself from the president amid the aftermath of the deadly riots that erupted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Although Trump owes the bank approximately $300 million, the paper reports that the German financial institution wants no future business dealings with the president or his companies. 

In addition to Deutsche Bank, New York’s Signature Bank also released a statement confirming the closure of Trump’s personal bank accounts while calling for the lame-duck president to resign from his post. The bank has also vowed not to conduct any further business with any Congressional members who actively worked to overturn the outcome of the presidential election and block the electoral college certification. Continue reading.

Six hours of paralysis: Inside Trump’s failure to act after a mob stormed the Capitol

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Hiding from the rioters in a secret location away from the Capitol, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) appealed to Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) phoned Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter.

And Kellyanne Conway, a longtime Trump confidante and former White House senior adviser, called an aide who she knew was standing at the president’s side.

But as senators and House members trapped inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday begged for immediate help during the siege, they struggled to get through to the president, who — safely ensconced in the West Wing — was too busy watching fiery TV images of the crisis unfolding around them to act or even bother to hear their pleas. Continue reading.

Rep. Dean Phillips (CD3): Choosing Truth, Not Sides

Hi,

My oath to the Constitution, and the resounding feedback I’ve received from Minnesotans like you, was on my mind today as I voted to impeach President Trump for his role in inciting violence against a co-equal branch of our government – a solemn but necessary end to a horrifying week.  

Before I headed to the floor to cast my vote, I connected with members of the Minnesota press about the attack against our democracy, the unifying power of truth and accountability, and the ongoing threats still facing Congress. I invite you to watch our discussion here:

Sedition is divisive, insurrection is divisive, accountability is unifying

Continue reading “Rep. Dean Phillips (CD3): Choosing Truth, Not Sides”

DFL Party Statement on Minnesota’s Republican Congressional Delegation Voting Against Impeachment

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement on Minnesota’s Republican Representatives voting against the bipartisan impeachment of the President of the United States for inciting insurrection:

“At Donald Trump’s urging, a mob descended on the United States Capitol, murdered a police officer, and sought to overturn the results of a free and fair election through the use of violence. This violent, armed insurrection resulted in the death of six Americans. Today, Representatives Jim Hagedorn, Tom Emmer, Michelle Fischbach, and Pete Stauber refused to hold President Donald Trump accountable for betraying his oath of office and inciting an insurrection attempt against the United States government.

“It is deeply disturbing that Minnesota’s Republican congressional delegation chose their political party over their country, their careers over the Constitution, and a mob over the people of Minnesota. There is no offense more impeachable than sedition and treason against the United States government, and the Minnesota Republican delegation’s votes not to impeach have condoned this behavior which should be universally denounced. Hagedorn, Emmer, Fischbach, and Stauber failed to stand up for the rule of law and American democracy when it mattered most and the people of Minnesota will not forget that.”

House impeaches Trump for second time — with some GOP support

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House lawmakers on Wednesday impeached President Trump for his role in last week’s deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, capping an extraordinary week of violence, apprehension and partisan brawling in Congress just as Washington cranks up security in preparation for Joe Biden’s inauguration, just a week away.

The vote was historic: It made Trump the first president in the country’s history to be impeached twice.

And unlike the first debate, this time the president’s Democratic critics had support across the aisle. At least 10 Republicans joined every voting Democrat to approve the single impeachment article, which accuses Trump of inciting violence against the same federal government he leads. Continue reading.

Trump publicly calls for “no violence” and peaceful transition

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President Trump urged the American public on Wednesday to refrain from violence ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, again calling for a peaceful transition of power.

Why it matters: The statement was released as the House debated whether to impeach Trump for a second time, after the president was accused of inciting the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol and left five dead last week.

  • D.C. is currently on high alert ahead of the Biden inauguration, with the National Guard deployed to the nation’s capital. Continue reading.