Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has accused President Trump of provoking the crowd that stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
"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," said McConnell during the first convening of the Senate since the attack.
During a rally near the White House on January 6, Trump told his supporters that "they rigged it like they have never rigged an election" and said "we won this election and we won it by a landslide."
"This election actually was not unusually close. Just in recent history, 1976, 2000, and 2004 were all closer than this one," McConnell said.
McConnell believes the rioters at the Capitol were trying "to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of the first branch of the federal government which they did not like."
"We stood together and said an angry mob would not get veto power over the rule of law in our nation, not even for one night," McConnell said.
McConnell said he has not decided yet how he would vote on the article of impeachment against Trump.
