Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) says former President Donald Trump should be charged with “premeditated murder” because of the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“He absolutely should be charged with premeditated murder because of the lives that were lost for this invasion with his insurrection,” she said on MSNBC. “For the president of the United States to sit and watch the invasion and the insurrection and not say a word because he knew he had absolutely initiated it – and as some of them said, ‘He invited us to come. We’re here at the invitation of the president of the United States.'”
Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died during the riot.
Waters said the rioters were “following the president” when they stormed the Capitol.
“What’s so interesting about all of this is they tried to make themselves the victim when indeed they are following the president of the United States of America who had advance planning about the invasion that took place in our Capitol. Even there’s information that some of the planning came out of individuals working in this campaign,” she said.
“When he rallied, he said go to the Capitol, fight hard. This is, take back your country. So if that’s not inciting the kind of violence that we witnessed, I don’t know what is.”
On Jan. 6, thousands of Trump supporters, many wearing “Make America Great Again” hats, some decked out in camo attire, others carrying Confederate flags, gathered in the Ellipse, a patch of the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the White House. Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, took the stage about 10 a.m., whipping the crowd into a frenzy when he said he was “willing to stake my reputation” that election fraud caused Trump to lose the 2020 election.
“And if we’re wrong, we will be made fools of,” Giuliani said. “But if we’re right, a lot of them will go to jail. So let’s have trial by combat.”
Just before noon, Trump showed up.
Claiming that the “emboldened radical left Democrats” and the media have conspired against him, Trump declared, “We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn’t happen. You don’t concede. Our country is had enough. We will not take it anymore, and that’s what this is all about.”
Trump said he lost the election because of an “explosion of bulls***.” The crowd responded by chanting, “Bulls***!”
The president delivered a stemwinder speech for more than an hour. Near the end, pointing toward the Capitol down Constitution Avenue, Trump said: “After this, we’re going to walk down there, and I’ll be there with you, we’re going to walk down … to the Capitol and we are going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.”
Related: Trump’s Lawyers Offer Former President’s Answer To Impeachment Article On Incitement Of Insurrection