- White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters on Thursday that the Trump administration is committed to “an orderly transition of power” and criticized the president’s supporters who besieged the Capitol the day before.
- “The violence we saw yesterday at our nation’s Capitol was terrible, reprehensible and antithetical to the American way. We condemn – the president and this government – on the strongest terms possible, ”said McEnany.
- “Those who are working in this building are working to ensure an orderly transition of power,” she added. “Now it’s time for America to come together, come together, reject the violence that we have seen.”
- President Donald Trump notably did not admit his defeat in the elections. He stoked the flames of unrest on Wednesday by baselessly insisting that the election was stolen from him and saying, “We love you” to protesters in a video message.
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In a brief statement on Thursday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany condemned Wednesday’s insurrection by Trump’s supporters on Capitol Hill and pledged “an orderly transition of power” between administrations.
“Let me be clear: the violence we saw yesterday at the Capitol of our country was terrible, reprehensible and antithetical in the American way. We condemn – the president and this government – in the strongest possible terms. It is unacceptable, and those who broke the law it should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, “McEnany said before leaving the press conference room without answering questions from reporters.
—CSPAN (@cspan) January 7, 2021
A large group of protesters met on Wednesday to try to stop Congress from counting the electoral votes of President-elect Joe Biden. They violated the Capitol, forced both Congressional chambers to go into recess and legislators to evacuate, and caused several injuries and widespread damage to property.
Four people died in the confusion of the day. One woman was shot in an altercation with the police, while three died of medical emergencies.
“What we saw yesterday was a group of violent protesters violating the rights of the first amendment of those who came peacefully to have their voices heard in our nation’s capital. Those who have violently besieged our capital are the opposite of what this government stands for,” said McEnany .
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She added: “Those who are working in this building are working to ensure an orderly transition of power. Now it is time for America to come together, come together and reject the violence that we have seen. We are an American people under God.”
McEnany’s brief appearance – during which she read the statement “on behalf of the White House”, not the president – was the government’s first public statement about the Capitol riot after Trump released a video saying to his supporters “we love it” you, you are very special. ” Subsequently, the video was completely removed from Twitter and Facebook.
Notably, McEnany said the White House team is seeking an orderly transition, despite the fact that Trump, with less than two weeks in office, has not yet granted the election. In fact, he insisted even on Wednesday’s video that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen – a claim that prompted protesters to come down to the Capitol soon after.