Trump Thinks These Tweets Prove He’s Not Responsible for Jan. 6 Riot
‘EXONERATING’
With a potentially damaging report about Donald Trump’s election meddling set to be unsealed, the former president on Tuesday released a rambling statement citing “exonerating tweets” that he claimed show he wasn’t culpable for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. In the 10-page document, “A STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP ON THE WITCH HUNT OF JANUARY 6th,” Trump highlighted tweets sent on Jan. 6, 2021, in which he called for calm among his followers. “I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence!” one reads. Another asks his fans to support Capitol law enforcement. “They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!” it says. “It is doubtful that any President has ever been so clear or concise about wanting peace and harmony, and certainly not conflict,” Trump writes in the statement. “My Speech [at the Ellipse], Statements, and Tweets are absolute proof that I acted legally and appropriately in addition to the fact that, as President, I have Complete and Total Immunity.” Trump fails to mention that his speech included him warning followers that “if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore,” or that the election was being “stolen by emboldened radical-left Democrats.”