Donald Trump Wanted Rioters To Find & Attack Lawmakers In The Capitol, Journalist Says
In a Saturday piece for The Intercept, journalist Ryan Grim argued that Donald Trump wanted Capitol rioters to find and attack lawmakers who opposed his re-election on January 6.
“We can’t look away from this simple set of facts: All the evidence points to the conclusion not just that Trump recklessly whipped up a mob that went on to storm the Capitol, but also that he wanted that mob to succeed in finding and attacking those who stood in the way of his return to the presidency,” he wrote.
The journalist pointed to Trump’s reported reluctance to call off rioters when pressed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s claim that the former U.S. leader was aware Vice President Mike Pence was in danger when he publicly attacked him, and the former president’s heavy promotion of the rally in the lead-up to the event.
According to Grim, it’s possible Trump could have “declared some sort of state of emergency” if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Pence were killed or badly injured, which could have stifled the certification of the votes. Although the situation might not have been likely, the writer noted the real estate mogul’s “life philosophy” and approach to his decades in the business world is to live to “fight another day” at all costs.
In particular, the journalist noted the businessman has a long history of creating chaos as a “last resort” in the face of “inevitable defeat” to pave the way for another opportunity to change his fortune.
“Trump didn’t know exactly how things would play out if the mob succeeded in its mission, but he knew how things would go if it didn’t: He would lose.”
According to Grim, Trump was “ready to kill” to prevent his loss.
As reported by CNN, a Republican briefed on the call between Trump and McCarthy suggested the former president was “rooting” for the rioters as they stormed the Capitol. Notably, the GOP leader allegedly begged Trump to call his supporters off for attacking the historic American building. In response, he reportedly brushed McCarthy off and suggested they were more “upset” about Democrat Joe Biden’s victory than the lawmaker.
As The Inquisitr reported, Trump also allegedly refused to mobilize the National Guard until White House counsel Pat A. Cipollone warned him of possible legal action. As Trump refused to take action, it was allegedly Pence who took initiative to deploy the military to the Capitol to take control of the situation.
