Hours after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was “exhilarated” by the prospect of then-President Donald Trump‘s public image crumbling, according to a new book.
Trump “finally, totally discredited” himself, the Kentucky Republican told New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin for the yet-to-be-released book This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future.
“He put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger,” McConnell told Martin just after midnight following the Capitol attack, according to excerpts obtained by the Washington Post. “Couldn’t have happened at a better time.”
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McConnell also asked Martin if he had heard rumors about the 25th Amendment being invoked to remove Trump from office, according to the book. A joint statement was also discussed in the hours after the attack between McConnell, then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to request that Trump not attend the inauguration set for later in the month. McConnell later voted to acquit Trump in the Capitol riot-related impeachment trial that followed, telling fellow GOP lawmakers he would do so in part because the trial took place after Trump left office Jan. 20.
The book, co-authored by New York Times reporter Alexander Burns and set to release May 3, showcases reactions from both sides of the aisle to major events within the past few years, including the 2020 election, the Capitol attack, the coronavirus pandemic, and President Joe Biden’s first year in office, according to a description on Amazon.
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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also held similar sentiments following the Capitol attack, encouraging his Republican colleagues to convince Trump to resign, according to an adaption of the book published by the New York Times last week. His tune quickly changed, however, and McCarthy remains in Trump’s good graces and is expected to vie for House speaker should Republicans win control of the House this November.
McConnell has not publicly commented on reporting in the book as of Monday.
