Kevin McCarthy Blames 'Everybody In The Country' For Jan. 6 Attack

According to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), former President Donald Trump bears some responsibility for an attack on the U.S. Capitol along with everybody else in the country.

During a news conference ahead of Thursday’s hearing of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, McCarthy was asked if he still believed Trump bore some responsibility for the attack. 

“Look, I’ve answered that many times. I thought everybody in the country [bore] some responsibility, based upon what has been going on,” McCarthy said, echoing remarks he’s made in the past . “The riots on the streets, the others.”

In the weeks after the Capitol riot, the Republican leader said both publicly and privately that Trump was responsible. “The president bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters,” McCarthy said on the House floor on Jan. 13, 2021 . “He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.” 

Privately, his assessment was even harsher. In a leaked audio recording from Jan. 11, 2021, McCarthy said Trump “bears responsibility for his words and actions. No ifs, ands or buts.” In another recording, he said what Trump did on Jan. 6 was “unacceptable” and that “nobody can defend that, and nobody should defend it.”

But within a couple of weeks, he pivoted to doing just that. By Jan. 21, McCarthy was arguing that Trump never provoked the mob that laid siege to the Capitol, and offered his first iteration of this week’s comment.