Trump's campaign manager shares statements blaming him for January 6 insurrection
Chris LaCivita, Donald Trump’s current campaign co-manager, reposted statements on social media condemning the violent and deadly January 6, 2021 insurrection and attack on the U.S. Capitol—and blaming Donald Trump for that day’s violence.
“On January 6, 2021, LaCivita reposted several posts that harshly condemned Trump, suggesting that even some of his closest allies once viewed the deadly outcome as a direct result of Trump’s lies,” CNN‘s Andrew Kaczynski reports.
Among them, “a statement on January 6 from former President George W. Bush, who expressed ‘disbelief and dismay’ at the violent assault on the Capitol, calling it ‘a sickening and heartbreaking sight.'”
“I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement,” Bush’s statement read. “The violent assault on the Capitol – and disruption of a Constitutionally-mandated meeting of Congress – was undertaken by people whose passions have been inflamed by falsehoods and false hopes.”
CNN reports it also “reviewed a video showing a screen recording of posts that LaCivita liked on January 6, including one from Republican former Rep. Barbara Comstock of Virginia, who called for Trump’s Cabinet to remove him from office via the 25th Amendment.”
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“Another post shared by LaCivita was a stark message from a Republican Senate aide, which John McCormack, then a reporter for the conservative magazine National Review, shared on X”:
“Text message from a GOP Senate aide: ‘This is a disgusting tragedy. Someone literally lost their life because of a lie that Trump told, Cruz/Hawley capitalized on, and fringe media echoed. This is in no way shape or form sustainable.’”
Some of LaCivita’s posts were deleted, but CNN was able to view them through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.
Another post, since removed from LaCivita’s feed, was from a Republican political operative. It read: “They are not protestors. They are thugs.”
On social media, CNN’s Kaczynski writes, “The posts clash with Trump’s attempts to rewrite Jan 6. While Trump is spreading conspiracy theories about it being an inside job, LaCivita’s tweets from that day blame Trump for the violence, calling it an ‘insurrection’ fueled by his election lies.”
LaCivita is the GOP operative responsible for what became known as “Swiftboating.”
Recently, Trump has referred to the violent and deadly January 6 insurrection as a “day of love.” He has called those who participated in storming the Capitol and were convicted and imprisoned, “hostages,” and has promised to pardon them. Trump has been criminally indicted on felony charges for his alleged role in the insurrection and surrounding election subversion.
In that indictment, prosecutors say, Trump “pursued unlawful means of discounting legitimate votes and subverting the election results,” and “perpetrated three criminal conspiracies,” according to Democracy Docket.
He is facing charges including:
- Conspiracy to defraud the United States;
- Conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding;
- Obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and
- Conspiracy against the right to vote and have one’s vote counted.
HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Dáte wrote: “The big question isn’t why LaCivita thought Trump’s coup attempt was an affront to America. It’s why he — like so many others — would choose to go work to return him to that office.”
Kaczynski also adds: “LaCivita now tells CNN, ‘Retweets and likes are not endorsements’ and some of the posts have since been removed.”