Pelosi: Trump could be an accessory to murder ‘because he instigated that insurrection’

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) laid the blame for the deadly violence at the U.S. Capitol squarely at President Trump’s feet late Tuesday, telling MSNBC that the president could be an accessory to murder.

In an interview with Joy Reid, the House leader indicated that she thought the rioting by Trump’s supporters that overtook the building on Jan. 6 was directly inspired and incited by the president.

“[The] president’s words are important, they weigh a ton. And if you’re Donald Trump talking to these people, they believe it and they used his words to come here,” Pelosi said.

“When we talk about ‘did any of our colleagues collaborate?’” she continued. “Well, that remains to be seen. We have to get the evidence of that. And if they did, they would be accessory to the crime. And the crime, in some cases, was murder.”

“And this president is an accessory to that crime because he instigated that insurrection that caused those deaths and this destruction,” she added.

Five people died as a result of the violence as a joint session of Congress was meeting to certify the 2020 presidential election results, including one Capitol Police officer. A second officer who responded to the scene died days later.

Pelosi added during the interview that Trump was a “stain” on the history of the nation who likely would have destroyed U.S. democracy had he been elected to a second term.

“I do think that we’re bigger than all of this. Donald Trump was a stain on our country. I don’t think we could have sustained our democracy if he had two terms in office, for what he was doing to our institution or what he was doing to our Constitution. He dishonored it,” she said.

Her remarks came hours before the end of Trump’s last day in office and the imminent inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday. Washington, D.C., remains under heavy lockdown as a result of the Jan. 6 violence at the Capitol, and officials have warned that further violence, especially aimed at disrupting the ceremonies, will not be tolerated.