House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says that former President Donald Trump could be considered an accessory to murder after the riot at the Capitol by his supporters earlier this month left five people dead.
"President’s words are important, they weigh a ton," Pelosi said in an interview on MSNBC that aired on Tuesday, noting that Trump had repeatedly promoted unproven claims of fraud before Congress met to finalize his loss the 2020 election, which he urged his followers to “fight” in a speech not long before the riot began. "And if you’re Donald Trump talking to these people, they believe it and they used his words to come here."
The Speaker added, "When we talk about, ‘Did any of our colleagues collaborate?' Well, that remains to be seen. We have to get the evidence of that. And if they did, they would be accessory to the crime. And the crime, in some cases, was murder. And this president is an accessory to that crime because he instigated that insurrection that caused those deaths and this destruction."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., also criticized Trump on Tuesday, saying he “provoked” the rioters.
"The mob was fed lies," McConnell said. "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. But we pressed on."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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