February 13, 2021 ☼ trump ☼ impeachment ☼ gop ☼ pence
Source: POLITICO - Link
Herrera Beutler issued the statement amid a new wave of attention on a story she has been telling since last month: that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy relayed details of a phone call he had with Trump while the violent mob was ransacking the Capitol.
In Herrera Beutler’s telling, McCarthy urged Trump to call off the mob, to which Trump initially responded that he couldn’t because it was made up of left-wing extremists — a falsehood that has been debunked by federal investigators.
It’s unclear if Herrera Beutler’s entreaties will have any impact just hours before the Senate is expected to conclude its trial and vote.
When McCarthy refuted Trump, the former president responded, “Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are,” according to Herrera-Beutler.
The comment is further evidence that supports the case the House has been mounting during the Senate trial — that Trump ignored his allies’ pleas to call off the rioters and demand that they go home. Rather, he seemed more interested, they argue, in continuing to find ways to delay the certification of Joe Biden’s victory as president that day.
Herrera Beutler’s anecdote dovetails with the revelation from Sen. Tommy Tuberville that he directly informed Trump at around 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 6 that Pence had been evacuated from the Senate chamber just minutes earlier. At 2:24 p.m., Trump tweeted an attack on Pence, saying he lacked “courage” for refusing to unilaterally block Biden’s victory.
This is what is leading some folks to call for witnesses. Not sure if this will happen.
If Trump is acquitted on supposedly “constitutional” ground he will likely say he was “fully vindicated” or some such nonsense. I wouldn’t be surprised if he started calling for criminal charges against those House members that supported impeachment, a move that would put lives in danger.