Republican lawmakers expressed frustration about it President Trump
Donald TrumpWarnock defeats Loeffler in Georgia Senate run-off The Memo: Georgia Voters Battle Trump Eric Trump Warns of Primary Challenges to Republicans Who Don’t Object to Election Results MORE on Wednesday after rioters stormed the Capitol to disrupt Congressional counting of the electoral college.
Trump has made baseless claims for months that the election was “ faked ” and encouraged his supporters to rally in Washington, urging them to go to the Capitol lawn. On Wednesday, a pro-Trump gang raided the Capitol, damaging and destroying the building, including both rooms and leadership offices.
GOP lawmakers, many of whom have remained close to Trump since he took power in 2017, pointed to his rhetoric as a driving factor behind Wednesday’s violence.
“We witnessed today the damage that can happen when men in power and responsibility refuse to acknowledge the truth. We saw bloodshed because a demagogue chose to spread lies and sow suspicion towards his own countrymen. to participate in such deception, “Sen. Pat Toomey
Patrick (Pat) Joseph Toomey Government Used Patriot Act To Collect Website Visitor Logs In 2019 Appeals Court Rules NSA’s Bulk Phone Data Collection Illegal Dunford Withdraws From Consideration To Chair Coronavirus Monitoring Panel (R-Pa.) Said from the Senate floor.
Asked if he thought Trump’s rhetoric was causing the riots, Sen. Mike Rounds
Mike Rounds Senate ready to override Trump’s veto on defense law Senate GOP against Trump: election is over McConnell urges GOP senators not to object to Electoral College voting MORE (RS.D.) said he hadn’t seen all of the president’s comments, but “it certainly didn’t help.”
“He insisted in a very emotional situation, very inappropriate action by people who appear to be his supporters,” Rounds said.
Her. Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin GrahamGeorgia Senate Races Break Spending Records The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Election day in Georgia has finally arrived; Trump hopes Pence will ‘come through for us’ to nullify results Trump’s power is declining in recent weeks MORE (RS.C.), who has closely aligned himself with Trump, said in a fiery ground speech that he had tried to support the president, but “enough is enough.”
“Trump and I, we had a great trip. I hate to be like that. … I can only say that I can count out. Enough is enough … We have to end it,” Graham said.
Her. Kevin Cramer
North Dakota Senator Kevin John Cramer on Decision to Support Electoral College: “It Was Cruel” The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Election day in Georgia has finally arrived; Trump Hopes Pence ‘Come For Us’ To Destroy Results Senate GOP Opposition Grows To Object To Electoral College Results MORE (RN.D.) said Trump has “some responsibility” for the violence in the Capitol.
“I have to admit I watched his speech today. I mean, first of all, his treatment of it Mike Pence
Michael (Mike) Richard Pence Trump Attorney Jay Sekulow Refutes Pence Authority Claims Over Voters Trump Election Purses Pence in a No-Win Situation Pence Assistant Pushes Navarro Back Claim VP Could Slow Election Certification MORE … if nothing else, his treatment of Mike Pence is unwarranted, wrong and really unfortunate, ” Cramer said, adding that the president’s treatment of his number 2 was “ really annoying. ”
Cramer added that Trump’s election rhetoric, including urging his supporters to rally outside the Capitol, was “incendiary” and “poured fuel.”
Wednesday was already expected to highlight one of the biggest divisions between Trump and Congressional Republicans as GOP lawmakers sided with Democrats to confirm President-elect Joe Biden
Joe Biden The Memo: Georgia Voters Battle Trump Warnock Victory Brings Democrats Within Reach of Senate Majority Eric Trump Warns of Primary Challenges to Republicans Who Don’t Object to Election Results MOREThe Electoral College wins despite a plan by dozens of their Conservative colleagues to make an hour-long, guaranteed unsuccessful attempt to throw away the results in major battlefield states.
The Senate and the House both rejected the first contestation of Arizona’s election results in the wake of the riots. But the challenge still got the support of six Senate Republicans and 121 House Republicans, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy
Kevin Owen McCarthy Tulsi Gabbard Blows Out New House Rules On Gender Neutral Language As ‘The Epitome of Hypocrisy’ House GOP Debates Vote Electoral College McMorris Rodgers Free Speakers Chair After Democrat’s Personal Voice After COVID Diagnosis MORE (R-Calif.), In support of discarding the results.
The joint session comes after Republicans already broke with Trump over major policy decisions, including handing him the first right of veto last week.
But the previous schism paled in comparison to GOP lawmakers’ response to violence from a pro-Trump mob.
Rep. Chip RoyCharles (Chip) Eugene Roy Pelosi Warns Lawmakers About Social Distance After Much Ignoring Guidelines The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented By Facebook – Trump’s New Phone Call Controversy, Georgia Runoffs Headline Big Week Chip Roy Challenges Seats Of House Members From Six Presidential Battlefield States LAKE (R-Texas) said he opposed Trump’s attempts to reverse the election “could sign my political death warrant. So be it.” Rep. Liz Cheney
Elizabeth (Liz) Lynn CheneyHoyer says Trump likely calls Georgia criminal, wants’ serious’ investigation McMorris Rodgers floats speaker’s chair after Democrat’s personal vote after COVID diagnosis warns Obama of threats to ‘fundamental principles of our democracy after Trump called Georgia MORE (Wyo.), The No. 3 House Republican, didn’t pull a fist when she told Fox News, “There’s no question that the president shaped the crowd, the president turned on the crowd. … He lit the flame. “
Her. Tom Cotton
Tom Bryant CottonTrump pressure campaign splits 2024 GOP contenders Trump puts pressure on Pence, falsely claiming he could kick voters out. The Hill’s Morning Report – presented by Facebook – Election day in Georgia has finally arrived; Trump hopes Pence “ gets through for us ” to undo the results MORE (R-Ark.), Who has closely aligned himself with Trump, has released a statement urging him to give in.
“It is high time for the president to accept the results of the election, to stop deceiving the American people and to reject the violence of the mafia,” Cotton said.
Trump and his allies have spread unverified claims that the election was stolen, even as their election challenges were rejected by dozens of courts and election experts dismissed claims of widespread electoral fraud.
Trump first tweeted on Wednesday afternoon urging supporters to “remain peaceful” and support law enforcement without explicitly condemning those who use force to enter the Capitol. The president tweeted again 35 minutes later to push for “no violence” and stressed the need to respect the police.
Under increasing pressure, he then tweeted at around 4:15 PM to tell his supporters to “go home,” though he continued to praise them and repeat his false claims about electoral fraud.
“Go home. We love you, you are very special,” Trump said in a video on Twitter. ‘I know how you feel. But go home and go home in peace. ‘
Twitter later deleted the tweets and temporarily suspended Trump’s account for violating his policies.
When rioters stormed the Senate, senators were first told to take shelter before being evacuated to a safe location.
Hours later, Sen. Roy Blunt
Roy Dean BluntElectoral College fight splits GOP as opposition grows to electoral challenge Republican power struggle over election intensifies Hawley jams GOP with Electoral College fight MORE (R-Mo.) Was asked to hear what Trump had said about the violence. Blunt, a member of the GOP leadership, said he “didn’t want to hear anything.”
“I think it was a tragic day and he was part of it,” said Blunt.
Her. John Thune
John Randolph Thune Eric Trump Warns of Primary Challenges to Republicans Who Do Not Object to Election Results Trump’s power has been waning in recent weeks. Republican power struggles over elections are getting MORE (SD), the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, said Trump’s rhetoric “certainly hasn’t helped.”
“Certainly encourage people to go to the Capitol and some of the kind of implied suggestions that I think you know … they just encourage the wrong behavior,” Thune said.
Some of the president’s most frequent GOP critics were more direct.
“We are gathering because of the hurt pride of a selfish man and the outrage from supporters that he deliberately misinformed over the past two months and prompted action this morning. What happened today was an uprising instigated by the president of the United States. United States, ”said Sen. Mitt Romney
Willard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyBiden: ‘Decent Republicans’ willing to break with Trump Trump renominates Judy Shelton in latest effort to reshape Fed National Review, criticizes ‘Cruz Eleven’: Barbara Boxer should not be a conservative role model MORE (R-Utah) from the Senate floor.
Her. Ben Sasse
Ben Sasse Trump Pressure Campaign Splits 2024 GOP Contenders The GOP Must Stop Americans From Believing Elections Are Faked Republican Power Struggle Over Elections Intensifies MORE (R-Neb.) Also blamed directly on Trump, who he accused of “sitting behind his keyboard.”
“Lies have consequences,” said Sasse. “This violence was the inevitable and ugly result of the President’s addiction to continual division.”