Trump Denies True Supporters Among Rioters Storming Capitol
By Worthy News Breaking News Team George Whitten and Stefan J. Bos
(Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald J. Trump urged his supporters to remain peaceful after being impeached by the House for a record second time with Republican voters.
In his first video message following the vote, he condemned last week’s deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol, which sparked the impeachment procedure.
Rioters claiming to be Trump-supporters stormed the building housing the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Critics say that happened after Trump encouraged a crowd to march to the Capitol where legislators certified what he claimed were fraudulent elections.
However, Trump denied there were real supporters among the violent protestors raiding America’s heart of democracy. “I want to be very clear: I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week,” he told the nation in his recorded remarks.
He added: “Like all of you, I was shocked and deeply saddened by the calamity” and “no true supporter” of his “could ever endorse political violence.”
MAINTAINING ORDER
Trump stressed that he had directed federal agencies “to use all necessary resources to maintain order in Washington, D.C.,” over the next week.”
Thousands of additional National Guard forces arrive in Washington D.C. ahead of the expected inauguration of Joe Biden as president on January 20.
Trump’s comments came after even 10 Republicans voted to impeach him in the House, including Representative Tom Rice of South Carolina.
Rice defended joining Democrats in voting to impeach President Trump in a reversal from his position just days earlier.
The legislator said in published remarks that he had backed Trump “through thick and thin for four years” but called the president’s handling of the Capitol violence an ”utter failure” that “is inexcusable.”
Rice was among the House Republicans who voted last week to throw out the State of Arizona’s electoral votes, which went to President-elect Joe Biden. The House voted to impeach Trump on a charge of incitement of an insurrection on a 232-197 vote.
IGNORING PLEA
Democrats want to continue the procedures even after Trump leaves office, despite a plea from U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to end the trial.
An eventual conviction could make it impossible for Trump to seek a second term in the future, which is currently still a legal possibility.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer already vowed that following a conviction, a vote would be held on barring Trump to participate in elections.
However, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell warned that there was “no chance” that the Senate would be able to hold a “fair or serious” impeachment trial before Biden is sworn in next week.
It came as the list of people charged over the deadly riots expanded to include five-time Olympic swimming medalist Klete Keller. A video emerged that appeared to show him among those storming the U.S. Capitol last week.
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