Barr rips Trump over Capitol riots: 'A betrayal of his office and supporters'

(Image credit: Jeff Roberson-Pool/Getty Images)

published 7 January 2021

Former Attorney General William Barr is slamming President Trump's "inexcusable" conduct after a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol building.

Barr in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday said "orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable," adding that Trump's conduct on Wednesday was a "betrayal of his office and supporters."

Trump addressed supporters who gathered in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday while Congress met to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win, falsely claiming the election was fraudulent and calling on them to "walk down to the Capitol." He also said "we are going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women" but that "we are probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them" because "you will never take back our country with weakness," The New York Times reports. Supporters subsequently breached the Capitol building, disrupting the election proceedings, and four people died in the riots.

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Barr resigned as attorney general last month a few weeks after he said the Justice Department has found no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would have changed the outcome of the election, shooting down claims by Trump. He's among a number of former Trump officials who have spoken out against the riots, and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf in a statement Thursday called on Trump to "strongly condemn the violence that took place yesterday."

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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