McCarthy Says Trump Bears Some Responsibility For Capitol Riot
United States Representative Kevin McCarthy told colleagues Monday that President Donald Trump bears some blame for protests in the Capitol last week. He added that the president had accepted some responsibility for the deadly Capitol protest as well.
McCarthy made these remarks during a House GOP-wide conference call, which was also their first meeting since a group of pro-Trump supporters broke into the Capitol building, leaving five people dead in a bid to block the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s win. Sources said that McCarthy urged Trump to call up Biden to congratulate him for winning the presidential election.
McCarthy also did not refuse to support a motion to fulminate against Trump for his action, according to NBC News. It is worth noting that he had not blamed Trump in any way for the Capitol riot before his conference call with House Republicans.
Moreover, his comments come when Democrats have decided to move forward with impeaching Trump for causing the riots. Vice President Mike Pence has refrained from invoking the Amendment that will remove Trump from office.
McCarthy's description of his conversation with Trump does not coincide with the president's public stance. He hasn't accepted any blame for urging his supporters to go to the Capitol building and push lawmakers to reverse the election outcome. Lasting over two hours, the GOP meeting allowed Republicans to express their safety concerns, inquire about the attack, and talk about ways to hold the president accountable for his role in triggering the riots.
Democrats, who are planning to bring impeachment articles to the floor this week, are likely to get some bipartisan support, according to POLITICO. Democrats blame Trump, and several other allies for the Capitol seize, which took place after the president asked supporters at a rally outside the White House to join him in his attempt to block the Congressional confirmation of Biden's win.
McCarthy, on the other hand, doesn't support the idea of impeaching Trump, stating in a letter to GOP House colleagues Monday that the impeachment is likely to have an opposite effect of bringing America together, CNBC reported. He acknowledged that they have some serious work to do in terms of uniting the bitterly-divided GOP conference.
Much to the chagrin of many Republicans, it took Trump about 24 hours to release a video, criticizing the violence that overtook the Capitol. The president said he is bent on ensuring a smooth transition of power but didn't take any personal blame for encouraging his followers to go to the Capitol on Wednesday.