Former Attorney General William Barr issued a scathing rebuke of President Trump’s behavior on Wednesday, when a violent group of his supporters raided the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers met to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
“Orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable,” Barr said in a statement obtained by the Washington Examiner on Thursday. “The President’s conduct yesterday was a betrayal of his office and supporters.”
Trump exhorted a crowd estimated in the hundreds of thousands to march on Capitol Hill as Congress was set to conduct the task of certifying each state’s electoral votes.
While some streamed peacefully to the building, pandemonium erupted when scores sought to enter, pressing past barricades and clashing with police. Once inside, lawmakers and media hunkered down or fled while the hordes roamed through the building, some even posting selfies on social media.
One woman was shot and killed inside the building by law enforcement, and dozens were arrested. Police revealed that three others died as a result of the chaos. According to Washington Police Chief Robert Contee, one adult woman and two adult men died from separate medical emergencies.
“The violence at the Capitol Building is outrageous and despicable. Federal agencies should move immediately to disperse it,” Barr said in a statement on Wednesday.
Jeffrey Rosen, who took over as acting attorney general, said the Justice Department is “committed to ensuring that those responsible for this attack on our Government and the rule of law face the full consequences of their actions under the law.” He also said some participants in the violence will be charged on Thursday and there could be more in the coming days.
As the chaos unfolded, Trump urged the crowd to “go home in peace” in a series of tweets, but it took the efforts of local and federal authorities and a 6 p.m. curfew to restore order. Lawmakers resumed the deliberations at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday, with many decrying the earlier chaos and laying the blame at Trump’s feet.
Congress certified Biden’s victory just before 4 a.m. on Thursday morning, after which Trump committed to an “orderly transition” of power in two weeks.
Barr was a harsh critic of the Trump-Russia investigations, but he rejected calls to appoint special counsels to investigate either Hunter Biden or allegations of voter fraud, saying the DOJ had not unearthed widespread fraud that could change the outcome of the presidential race.
Barr faced criticism from Democrats and others for the aggressive federal response to protests over the summer. He defended the tactics, claiming “violent rioters and anarchists have hijacked legitimate protests.”
