McConnell Supports Trump Facing Charges: ‘If He Hasn’t Committed Indictable Offenses, I Don’t Know What One Is’
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has expressed strong support for the federal charges against former President Donald Trump, stemming from his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, according to a forthcoming political biography. McConnell’s critical stance on Trump’s role in the January 6 Capitol riot and his broader condemnation of the former president are revealed in The Price of Power, a new book by Michael Tackett, deputy Washington bureau chief of The Associated Press.
The book offers a candid look at McConnell’s private thoughts on Trump, including harsh criticisms that had not been previously disclosed. According to Tackett, McConnell once referred to Trump as a “narcissist” and a “despicable human being.” But more significantly, the biography reveals that McConnell supported the criminal charges brought against Trump by special counsel Jack Smith for his actions during the 2020 election and the subsequent Capitol riot.
In previously unreported commentary, McConnell is said to have considered voting in favor of impeaching Trump after the January 6 insurrection. Although he ultimately did not vote to convict Trump, Tackett’s book sheds light on McConnell’s strong feelings about the former president’s culpability in the events leading up to and during the riot.
As reported by Axios, McConnell made it clear that he backed the legal efforts to hold Trump accountable. “In a biography set to publish a week before the election, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell backed special counsel Jack Smith and said he hopes former President Trump will ‘pay a price’ for his role in Jan. 6th,” Axios wrote.
The biography goes on to quote McConnell, who stated, “If he hasn’t committed indictable offenses, I don’t know what one is.” This bold assertion reflects McConnell’s belief that Trump’s actions on and around January 6 warranted serious legal consequences. McConnell further remarked, “There’s no doubt who inspired [the Capitol attack], and I just hope that he’ll have to pay a price for it.”
McConnell’s support for Trump facing federal charges is a striking development, especially given his long tenure as a top Republican leader and his often delicate political balancing act regarding the former president. While McConnell has publicly distanced himself from Trump on several occasions, his reported comments in the biography highlight just how deeply critical he is of Trump’s behavior.
The book’s revelations add another layer of complexity to McConnell’s relationship with Trump, which has been strained since the 2020 election. McConnell, who helped guide Trump’s legislative agenda during his presidency, was quick to distance himself after the Capitol riot, and his private comments, as revealed in The Price of Power, underscore his disapproval of Trump’s actions.
As the legal battles surrounding Trump continue to unfold, McConnell’s views, as detailed in Tackett’s biography, could have significant implications for the Republican Party’s stance on the former president. For McConnell, the hope that Trump will “pay a price” for his role on January 6 suggests that the Senate minority leader is not content to let the issue fade without accountability.
