Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the Jan. 6 Capitol attack a “disgrace.”
"They did this because they had been fed wild falsehoods by the most powerful man on Earth. Because he was angry. He had lost an election. Former President Trump's actions preceded the riot were a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty," McConnell said.
"There's no question — none — that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. No question about it. The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their President," he added.
McConnell said there were "wild myths" about election fraud, but he said he defended Trump's right to bring any complaints to the legal system.
"As I stood up and said clearly at that time, the election was settled. It was over. But that just really opened a new chapter of even wilder, wilder and more unfounded claims," he said. "The leader of the free world cannot spend weeks thundering that shadowy forces are stealing our country and then feign surprise when people believe him and do reckless things."
Trump "did not do his job" to end the Jan. 6 violence, McConnell said.
McConnell called the Trump defense team invoking Trump's voters during the impeachment trial "as a human shield against criticism."
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