Recent comments by McCarthy, a staunch Trump ally, diverge from statements by Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, who said on Tuesday that Trump “provoked” the January 6 riot.
“The mafia was fed with lies,” McConnell said in the Senate floor on the last full day of Trump’s presidency. “They were provoked by the president and other powerful people.”
After Trump was accused by the House of Representatives last week because of the unrest, McConnell signaled his openness to condemn Trump at the next Senate trial. The minority leader’s allies also blamed Trump following the Georgia Senate races earlier this month, when Democrats won the two seats they needed to claim a majority in the Senate.
McCarthy said on Thursday that he expects Trump, who received a record number of votes for a Republican presidential candidate in 2020, to continue to galvanize the supporters he has assembled.
“Every ex-president still has a role within his party,” said McCarthy. “This president has been very successful. He has brought people to the party who had not been involved before and he must continue to be involved in this way.”