White House trade adviser Peter Navarro referred to the bipartisan impeachment of President Trump as “violence to the country.”
Navarro, who maintains that the president won the election against President-elect Joe Biden, said that Trump’s impeachment for “incitement of insurrection” was an example of “violence” itself.
“I would be remiss, by not saying to you, Maria, that what happened yesterday was a travesty,” he told Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo on Thursday morning. “The Democratic Party did violence to this country by attacking a president who I believe was legally elected on Nov. 3. If the election were held today, he’d be elected again, and if he runs in 2024, he will be elected then, and I think that’s what the Democrats fear.”
Trump was impeached on Wednesday by a 232-197 vote in the House of Representatives for his actions leading up to the deadly siege at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Ten Republicans voted to impeach the president as well, making it the most bipartisan presidential impeachment to date in the United States. Navarro has previously attacked conservatives who criticized the president for encouraging them to go to the Capitol.
The insurgence at the Capitol, which was timed to disrupt the certification of the Electoral College for Biden, led to a lockdown of the building, temporarily halting the process. Five people lost their lives, countless others were injured, and as of Thursday, about 70 people have been arrested in connection to the mayhem.
“I’ve never been more pissed off in my life at this place, and I think there are 74 million Americans out there who voted for President Trump who feel exactly the same way, so I would say to these people on Capitol Hill, ‘Knock it off, stop this, let the man leave peacefully with his dignity,'” Navarro added.
The president had been relatively quiet in the days since the bedlam and impeachment, especially given he was booted from nearly every social media platform, but he urged his supporters to no longer engage in violent activities on Wednesday.
“In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind,” the president said. “That is not what I stand for and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You.”
