President releases video slamming siege
Under heavy pressure from his advisers, President Donald Trump on Wednesday released a fiveminute video recorded in the Oval Office condemning last week’s mob violence at the Capitol and urging his supporters to stand down from further rioting next week.
The video was made public hours after Mr Trump was impeached a second time and was the result, advisers said, of Mr Trump’s realisation of the catastrophic fallout from the deadly siege, which also left lawmakers fearing for their lives in the seat of American democracy.
The video was released on a White House Twitter account.
Mr Trump offered a broader condemnation of the violence than he has done so far.
Mr Trump’s aides have warned him that he faces potential legal exposure for the riot, which was committed by his supporters immediately after a speech in which the president urged them to “fight” the results of the election. The House impeached him on a single article, accusing him of “inciting violence against the government of the United States”.
Several officials urged Mr Trump to shoot the video, with Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and adviser, enlisting aides and even Vice President Mike Pence to tell him it was the right move. Even after it was recorded and posted, Mr Trump still had to be reassured.
The release of the video, which was filmed after the House impeachment vote, came after the president’s company, the Trump Organization, faced cancelled contracts in New York, and after Sen Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, told allies he was pleased by the Democrats’ impeachment efforts.
“As I have said, the incursion of the US Capitol struck at the very heart of our republic,” Mr Trump said. “It angered and appalled millions of Americans across the political spectrum.”
“I want to be very clear: I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week,” Mr Trump said.