On Wednesday, Speaker Kevin McCarthy defended ex-President Donald Trump, asserting that Trump hadn’t committed any “criminal acts” on January 6, 2021, and emphasizing Trump’s call for peace.
During a press interaction at the Capitol, a day after Trump revealed he was under criminal scrutiny by the Justice Department, McCarthy shared these viewpoints.
In McCarthy’s opinion, there’s no ground for criminal culpability against the former president. “Which criminal actions can be attributed to him? He encouraged people to stay peaceful,” asserted McCarthy.
McCarthy confirmed a recent conversation with Trump, a regular occurrence according to the speaker.
He mentioned that Trump appeared perturbed, and denied that the call served as a “strategic meeting” to establish narrative around the Justice Department’s investigation.
“The real strategy sessions are happening within the Democrats’ Justice Department, targeting anyone running against the president,” said McCarthy. “It looks like — and if you rise in the polls you’re more likely to be prosecuted.”
Elise Stefanik, Chair of the House GOP Conference, lambasted the “unlawful misuse” of the DOJ to target Trump while seemingly stalling the investigation into Hunter Biden. This claim was echoed by two IRS whistleblowers during a Congressional hearing on Wednesday.
McCarthy threatened an impeachment inquiry if it was established that the Attorney General, Merrick Garland, deceived not only Congress and the Senate, but also the American people.
