House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy reportedly warned lawmakers not to attack colleagues who vote to impeach President Trump out of fear for their safety.
“According to a GOP source on conference phone call yesterday, Kevin McCarthy warned members not to verbally attack colleagues who vote for impeachment because it could endanger their lives,” said National Review reporter John McCormack on Twitter.
According to a GOP source on conference phone call yesterday, Kevin McCarthy warned members not to verbally attack colleagues who vote for impeachment because it could endanger their lives.
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) January 12, 2021
The warning comes as the House is expected to vote Wednesday to impeach Trump, charging the president with “incitement of insurrection.”
The move comes a week after Trump held a rally outside of the White House, where he repeated the claim that the election was stolen from him, citing voting irregularities and fraud in key battleground states. He concluded his speech by encouraging the thousands of rallygoers to march on the Capitol and demand lawmakers object to the certification of the Electoral College results.
The situation quickly escalated, with a large group of protesters breaching security and gaining access to the Capitol building, causing lawmakers to evacuate as they were debating the certification of Arizona’s electors.
One person was fatally shot by Capitol Police in the ensuing mayhem, and three other rioters died of medical emergencies. One police officer also died following the chaos.
Many have placed the blame for the riot on Trump, with several Democratic lawmakers leading the charge to impeach the president under two weeks before he is set to leave office.
If it passes the House, the future of impeachment faces uncertain prospects in the Senate, where some have said there is not enough time to conduct a trial, while others have cast doubt on whether the effort could proceed after Trump is no longer in office.
Editor’s note: A staffer familiar with the call clarified that McCarthy advised members not to cite each other’s names when discussing policies they don’t agree with as the political environment is volatile.
