Liz Cheney blames Trump for riots: ‘He lit the flame’

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) blamed President Trump on Wednesday for the riots at the Capitol, saying the president “lit the flame” that ignited the mob. 

Cheney, the House Republican Conference Chair, sharply condemned the president on Fox News, saying, “We just had a violent mob assault the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent us from carrying out our constitutional duty.”

“There’s no question the president formed the mob, the president incited the mob, the president addressed the mob. He lit the flame,” the third-highest-ranking House Republican continued. 

“The mob will not prevail,” she added.

Liz Cheney: “We just had a violent mob assault the US capitol … No question the President formed the mob, the President incited the mob, the President addressed the mob. He lit the flame.” pic.twitter.com/Mk0laFbQRo

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) January 6, 2021

Rioters raided the Capitol Wednesday to call for lawmakers to reject the Electoral College vote, forcing the House and the Senate to halt debates ahead of Congress’ expected certification that President-elect Joe Biden won the election. 

Cheney, a frequent critic of Trump, had earlier on NBC News issued a scathing rebuke of Trump and his response to the rioters who overtook the Capitol. 

“What he has done and what he has caused here is something that we’ve never seen before in our history,” she told the network. “It’s been 245 years, and no president has ever failed to concede or agree to leave office after the Electoral College has voted, and I think what we are seeing today is the result of that, the result of convincing people that somehow Congress was going to overturn the results of this election, the results of suggesting that he wouldn’t leave office.”

Trump had previously called his supporters to flock to D.C. on Wednesday as Congress was slated to certify the Electoral College vote.

Before the rioters proceeded to the Capitol, Trump had addressed them in person, saying he would “never concede” the 2020 election.

“We’ve got to get rid of the weak Congress people, the ones that aren’t any good,” Trump told the crowd.

“The Liz Cheneys of the world,” he added.