'I said I would': McConnell defends endorsing Trump despite blaming him for Jan. 6

06 March 2024

Republican U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is defending his decision to endorse Donald Trump, despite having blamed him for the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, calling it an “impeachable offense,” and describing the ex-president as a “son of a bitch,” according to reports.

“The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people, and they tried to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of the first branch of the federal government, which they did not like,” McConnell said on the Senate floor on January 19, just 13 days after the insurrection, and just one day before Joe Biden would be sworn in as the 46th President.

Less than four weeks later, Minority Leader McConnell again struck out at Trump.

“He said Trump is ‘practically and morally responsible’ for the insurrection on Jan. 6. He said Trump’s supporters were ‘assaulting the Capitol in his name’ and ‘carried his banners’ while ‘screaming their loyalties to him,'” as USA Todayreported February 14 of that year.

“This was an intensifying crescendo of conspiracy theories orchestrated by an outgoing president who seemed determined to either overturn the voters’ decision or else torch our institutions on the way out,” McConnell continued. “Former President Trump’s actions that preceded the riot were a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty.”

Days after the insurrection, McConnell told several associates, “The Democrats are going to take care of the son of a bitch for us,” according to New York Times reporters Alex Burns and Jonathan Martin, in their book, “This Will Not Pass.” McConnell was “referring to the effort to impeach Trump in the Democratic-led House, according to the Times’ reporters,” CNN‘s Chris Cillizza reported.

“And of Trump’s guilt, McConnell was equally clear-eyed: ‘If this isn’t impeachable, I don’t know what is,’ he said.”

Cillizza offered up “a quick reminder of what happened at the Capitol on January 6: An armed mob stormed the building with the express purpose of disrupting the counting of the Electoral College votes. They did so because the sitting President of the United States at the time had, repeatedly and without any proof, told them that the 2020 election had been stolen.”

On Wednesday, CNN’s Manu Raju confronted McConnell on why he endorsed Donald Trump for President.

The Republican Minority Leader responded by essentially saying he endorsed him because he said he would.

“How do you reconcile your Trump endorsement with the fact that you called him practically and morally responsible for January 6, and the fact that he insulted you and your wife repeatedly?” Raju asked McConnell.

The Minority Leader appeared prepared for the question.

He replied, “On February the 25th, 2021, shortly after the attack on the Capitol, I was asked a similar question. And I said I would support the nominee for president. Even if it were the former president.”

“In April of last year,” another reporter told McConnell, “you indicated didn’t really directly answered the question as to whether or not you were comfortable with Mr. Trump, if he was in the middle of criminal trials and indictments, he was the nominee. I presume that means you’re comfortable with him?”

“I don’t have anything to add to what I just said,” McConnell replied. “I said in February of 2021, shortly after the attack on the Capitol that I would support President Trump if he were the nominee of our party, and he obviously is going to be the nominee of our party.”

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