US Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Photo: Reuters)
US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell accused President Donald Trump of “inciting” violent protests at the Capitol on January 6.
“The mob has been fed lies. They have been incited by the President and other powerful people, and they are trying to use fear and violence to stop a particular process of the federal government that they do not like,” Reuters quoted Mitch McConnell on January 19.
The comments come as Mr Trump nears the end of his term and faces an impeachment trial in the Senate shortly after leaving the White House. The US House of Representatives last week passed an impeachment charge against Mr Trump for “inciting violence”, accusing him of playing a role in the riots in Congress.
The US Senate resumed on January 19, but Mr. McConnell announced that the trial would only proceed after President-elect Joe Biden was sworn in. This means that Mr. Trump avoided the risk of being impeached, but still faced the scenario of being permanently banned from running for re-election.
McConnell said last week that he would hear arguments in court before deciding whether to vote to convict Trump. Meanwhile, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who will become Senate majority leader in the coming days, said if Trump is convicted, the Senate would vote to bar him from running again.
On the afternoon of January 6, hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, preventing Congress from certifying the presidential election results. The riot left 5 people dead. Trump denied responsibility for the riot and said that his statements were completely appropriate and did not incite violence.
