News / Politics

US Senate GOP leader McConnell: Trump 'provoked' January 6 violence

Tuesday, 19 January 2021 6:54 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 19 January 2021 6:59 PM ]

US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell arrives for the Electoral College vote certification for President-elect Joe Biden, during a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, January 6, 2021. (Reuters photo)

US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has accused Republican President Donald Trump of provoking the January 6 chaos at the Capitol.

“The last time the Senate convened, we had just reclaimed the Capitol from violent criminals who tried to stop Congress from doing our duty. The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people,” McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday, marking the first convening of the full Senate since the attack.

On January 6, Trump supporters launched a deadly assault on the US Capitol, disrupting the certification of the disputed November election results. Five people were killed in the siege.

Trump was impeached for the second time last week under the charge of incitement of an insurrection. The Senate will not vote on impeachment until after President-elect Biden’s inauguration.

The Senate will not vote on impeachment until after Biden’s inauguration.

McConnell last week said he would listen to the arguments presented during the Senate trial before deciding how to vote on the impeachment charges against Trump.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a Senate speech that Trump “is a threat to our constitutional order whether he is in or out of office.”

Majority of Americans blame Trump for Capitol chaos: Poll

A majority of Americans have blamed US President Donald Trump for inciting his loyalists for violence at the Capitol earlier this month, according to a new poll.

Schumer said that if Trump is convicted, the Senate would then vote to bar him from running again for the White House.

A majority of Americans have blamed Trump for inciting his loyalists for violence at the Capitol, according to a new poll.

According to a new NBC News poll, some 52 percent voters surveyed said President Trump was mainly responsible for the invasion of the Capitol by his supporters during the certification of Biden's election victory.

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