The Latest: Trump tweets that he won't attend inauguration
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the fallout of the storming of the Capitol by a mob of pro-Trump loyalists (all times local):
11:15 a.m.
President Donald Trump is casting himself as the defender of those who voted for him as he begins his Friday on Twitter.
Trump wrote Friday that the “75,000,000 great American Patriots” who voted for him “will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!”
He followed that up shortly with a tweet that he would not be attending the inauguration on Jan. 20th of President-elect Joe Biden.
The tweets did not include any reference to the news overnight that U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick had died after being injured while physically engaging with protesters during the Wednesday riot. He is the fifth person to die because of the violence.
A 12-hour lockdown of Trump’s account ended Thursday and the president used his restored account to post a video in which he acknowledged for the first time that his presidency will end soon.
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10:30 a.m.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is rejecting suggestions that the United States is a “banana republic” following the assault on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. It’s a highly unusual defense to criticism that hasn’t previously warranted an riposte from America’s top diplomat.
Pompeo is one of Trump’s strongest supporters in the Cabinet and has unstintingly defended him since Trump’s loss to President-elect Joe Biden in November’s election.
He denounced criticism of the U.S. in the wake of the attack on the Capitol as “slander” and decried questions about its democracy in a series of tweets from his personal account late Thursday. He followed up on Friday from his official account, calling the United States the “greatest country on earth” and extolling “American goodness."
Pompeo wrote that the comparison "reveals a faulty understanding of banana republics and of democracy in America.”
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10:20 a.m.
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff says President Donald Trump is a “danger to the Republic” and should be removed from office immediately by impeachment, resignation or invoking the 25th Amendment.
Schiff said Friday that Democrats warned during Trump’s impeachment that he would “try to cheat” to remain in office.
Now, he said Trump “lit the fuse which exploded on Wednesday at the Capitol” as a mob loyal to the president stormed the Capitol. Five people died from the mayhem, including a Capitol police officer.
“Every day that he remains in office, he is a danger to the Republic, and he should leave office immediately, through resignation, the 25th Amendment or impeachment,” Schiff said in a statement.
Schiff called Trump “the worst president we have ever had.”
Schiff was the leading manager of the House Democrats’ impeachment of the president in 2019. Trump was later acquitted by the Senate on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress over his dealings with Ukraine.
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HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW A DAY AFTER PRO-TRUMP FORCES BREACHED CAPITOL:
The rampage that has shocked the world and left the country on edge has forced the resignations of three top Capitol security officials over the failure to stop the breach. It's also led lawmakers to demand a review of operations and an FBI briefing over what they called a “terrorist attack.” And it's prompting a broader reckoning over President Donald Trump’s tenure in office and what comes next for a torn nation.
Read more:
— Capitol Police rejected offers of federal help to quell mob
— Inside account: The day my ‘second home,’ the Capitol, was overtaken by mob
— Mob at U.S. Capitol encouraged by online conspiracy theories
— EXPLAINER: Breaking down the uncertainty after Capitol siege
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