Trump on phone call falsely blamed 'Antifa' for riot at the Capitol – reports
Jonathan Swan at Axios has what they are labelling a scoop, that Donald Trump on a phone call falsely blamed “Antifa” for the riot at the Capitol last week. Swan reports in their email newsletter that House minority leader Kevin McCarthy pushed back on it:
"Despite facing an impeachment vote for an assault he helped incite, the outgoing president is still sticking with his tried-and-true playbook of deflecting and reaching for conspiracies
In a tense, 30-minute-plus phone call with House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, Trump trotted out the Antifa line. McCarthy would have none of it, telling the president: “It’s not Antifa, it’s MAGA. I know. I was there,” according to a White House official and another source familiar with the call.
The White House official said the call was tense and aggressive at times, with Trump ranting about election fraud and an exasperated McCarthy cutting in to say, “Stop it. It’s over. The election is over.”
He told Trump he should call Joe Biden, meet with the president-elect and follow tradition and leave a welcome letter in the Resolute Desk for his successor. The president told him he hadn’t decided whether to do so for Biden."
Fox News have a slightly different read-out of the call, suggesting that the president acknowledged that he had played a part in inciting the violence at the Capitol. Brooke Singman writes:
"President Trump acknowledged that he bears some blame for the Capitol riot last week during a conversation with House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, a source familiar told Fox News.
Two sources say McCarthy, relayed the president’s sentiment on a call Monday with the House GOP Conference. McCarthy, on the call Monday with Republicans, agreed that Trump bore blame for the unrest which sent Congress into lockdown as they tried to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election last week."
bron: The Guardian