Barr says Trump committed a ‘betrayal’ of the presidency amid Capitol riots

‘Orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable’

Former Attorney General William Barr has slammed President Donald Trump’s actions as an extremist mob of his supporters attacked the Capitol building, saying in a statement on Thursday his conduct was a “betrayal” of the presidency.

The ousted attorney general said “orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable” in a statement to the Associated Press a day after the president’s supporters clashed with police and breached security measures to interrupt the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 elections. 

At least four people died and 14 police officers were injured during the storming of the Capitol, which set the certification process back six hours, though lawmakers eventually did confirm the election.

The ex-attorney general resigned last month as Mr Trump continued to promote conspiracy theories about Mr Biden and his son Hunter while calling for federal investigations spearheaded by the Justice Department. 

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly received phone calls from concerned former security officials, along with national intelligence chiefs who were also contacted by security firms and others urging them to remain in office until an orderly transition of power has been conducted.

Those reports cited concerns of a potential security vacuum which could be used by enemies to cause harm to the country over the course of the next several weeks. 

Meanwhile, a wave of lawmakers were calling on the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Mr Trump from office. The president stirred controversy throughout the day when posted a video message to supporters on social media that contained false allegations of a rigged election.

Mr Trump’s social media accounts were locked on Thursday, with Facebook announcing an indefinite suspension that would last at least until the end of the transition of power. 

“The quickest and most effective way — it can be done today— to remove this president from office would be for the vice president to immediately invoke the 25th Amendment,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D—NY) said in a statement. “If the vice president and the Cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress should reconvene to impeach the president."