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Did Mitch McConnell hold Trump responsible for Capitol riots? President provoked insurrectionists, he says

GOP Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday said that the insurrectionists were 'provoked by the president and other powerful people'

Republican Senate majority leader, Senator Mitch McConnell, on Tuesday, stated publicly for the first time that he holds President Donald Trump at least partly responsible for the assault. He said on the Senate floor that the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on January 6, the day of the electoral vote were provoked by the president. He stated, "provoked by the president and other powerful people."

McConnell also stated that the rioters were fed lies. He said, "The mob was fed lies." He referred to Trump's claims that there was voter fraud that led to President-elect Joe Biden's victory. He explained, "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."

On the eve of Biden's inauguration and on the last day of Trump's administration; which also marks the last day of McConnell serving as the Majority leader at the Senate, McConnell made the statement. Even as the Senate was ready to receive a single article of impeachment from the House charging Trump with 'incitement of insurrection', McConnell indicated in private that he thought that Trump committed impeachable offenses. According to New York Times, he is yet to decide whether to vote to convict the president. 

What would it take to stop Trump from running for the office in the future?

It would take all 50 Democrats and 17 Republicans to find Trump guilty. This would allow the Senate to hold a second vote to stop Trump and disqualify him from public office in the future. McConnell's statement came just hours before he was set to meet his Democratic counterpart Chuck Schumer of New York to plan and map out a set of rules for the trial and the coming Senate session. At this point, the Senate will be split 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris holding the power to break Senate ties. 

However, Schumer would still need the cooperation of McConnell to get things done at the Senate. McConnell has changed from what he had believed a year ago when he had worked to set rules that were in favor of the White House and would confirm acquittal for Trump. At the moment, he reportedly calls voting for the impeachment a matter of conscience and is doing nothing to gather support in favor of Trump.

He also forewarned the next administration and said, "Certainly November’s election did not hand any side a mandate for sweeping ideological change.” He added, “Our marching orders from the American people are clear: We’re to have a robust discussion and seek common ground. We are to pursue bipartisan agreement everywhere we can, and check and balance one another respectfully where we must.”

The internet did not sympathize with the Senator who did not stop Trump in the first place. One user wrote, "It's Mitch McConnell. I'll believe it when I see it. Until he proves otherwise, expect him to do the wrong thing. Always." Another user wrote, "As McConnell attempts to slither away from four years of lies and corruption, remember when he had the opportunity to stop the terrorist in chief. Piss off Mitch."

Another user blamed the senator for killing America and tweeted, "Absolutely disgraceful. A Mitch McConnell only pulled the Senate together to approve judges. Republicans figuratively and literally killed America." One user also added, "The duo of Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham waited long enough to extricate themselves from the looming repercussion of sitting on a keg of gun powder. They ejected. Mitt Romney maintained his concerns about Trump from start to finish. He earned my respect for that."

President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration is set to take place on January 20.