GOP Sen. Susan Collins
Susan Margaret Collins North Carolina GOP condemns Burr for impeachment vote against Trump Toomey in Trump’s vote: ‘His betrayal of the Constitution’ required conviction Collins: Trump ‘incited an insurrection’ to prevent the transfer of power MORE (Maine) said on Saturday that the ex President Trump
Donald TrumpBiden on Trump’s acquittal: ‘The merits of the prosecution are not in dispute’ The Republican Party of North Carolina condemns Burr for impeachment vote against Trump Toomey in the Trump vote: ‘His betrayal of the Constitution’ required condemnation “incited an insurrection” against the Capitol on January 6 and laid the groundwork for months, claiming that the election was stolen from him.
“This attack was not a spontaneous outbreak of violence. On the contrary, it was the culmination of a constant stream of provocations from President Trump with the aim of nullifying the results of the presidential election,” said Collins in the Senate floor.
Collins was one of seven Republican senators who voted on Saturday to condemn Trump for inciting an insurrection. Although the senators did not achieve the two-thirds majority needed to convict the former president, this marked a significant bipartisan rebuke of his actions.
Collins, during her speech, laid out a timeline of how she believed Trump was preparing the political atmosphere for the eventual violent crowd by repeating false allegations of widespread electoral fraud.
“The president’s unprecedented efforts to discredit the election results did not start on January 6. Instead, he planted the seeds of doubt many weeks before the November 3 vote. He repeatedly told his supporters that only a ‘rigged election’ could cause him to lose, “said Collins.
Collins also pointed to Trump’s actions shortly after the election, where he tweeted that he was “stolen”, saying it showed that his “post-election campaign to change the outcome has started”.
Collins also pointed to an impressive connection that Trump made with Georgia officials, where he urged them to “find” almost 12,000 votes, as well as efforts to get the then vice president Mike Pence
Michael (Mike) Richard PenceCollins: Trump ‘incited an insurrection’ to prevent the transfer of power McConnell unloads on Trump: ‘Morally responsible’ for provoking the crowd Seven Republican senators vote to condemn Trump MORE throw away the results of the Electoral College on January 6.
“In this situation, the context was everything. Throwing a lit match into a pile of dry leaves is very different from throwing it in a puddle. And on January 6, the atmosphere among the crowd outside the White House was highly flammable, largely the result of a bad wind blowing from Washington in the past two months, “she added.
“This set the stage for the takeover of the Capitol for the first time in more than 200 years,” she added.
Collins, who won re-election last year, is part of an increasingly smaller group of Senate moderates and was seen as a crucial decisive vote in the impeachment process.
As part of an hour-long question and answer session on Friday, she, Senator Lisa Murkowksi (R-Alaska), Senator Mitt Romney
Willard (Mitt) Mitt Romney North Carolina GOP condemns Burr for impeachment vote against Trump Toomey in the Trump vote: ‘His constitutional betrayal required Collins’ conviction: Trump ‘incited an insurrection’ to prevent the transfer of power MORE (R-Utah) and Sen. Bill Cassidy
Bill Cassidy North Carolina GOP condemns Burr for impeachment vote against Trump Toomey in Trump’s vote: ‘His constitutional betrayal required Collins’ conviction: Trump ‘incited an insurrection’ to prevent the transfer of power MORE (R-La.) Asked questions about when Trump realized the Capitol was violated and what steps he took next.
“Instead of avoiding a dangerous situation, President Trump created one. And instead of defending the constitutional transfer of power, he incited an insurrection in order to prevent this transfer of power from taking place, “said Collins.
She added that Trump, by “subordinating the country’s interests to his own selfish interests, bears significant responsibility for the invasion of the Capitol.”