In Herrera Beutler’s story, McCarthy urged Trump to disband the Mafia, to which Trump initially replied that he couldn’t because it consisted of left-wing extremists – a lie that has been debunked by federal investigators.
When McCarthy refuted Trump, the former president replied, “Well, Kevin, I think these people are more upset about the election than you,” Herrera-Beutler said.
The comment is further evidence supporting the case the House built up during the Senate trial – that Trump is ignoring his allies’ pleas to cancel the rioters and demand that they go home. According to them, he seemed more interested in continuing to look for ways to delay certification of Joe Biden’s victory as president that day.
Herrera Beutler’s anecdote ties in with Senator Tommy Tuberville’s revelation that he directly informed Trump at around 2:15 p.m. on January 6 that Pence had been evacuated from the Senate chamber minutes earlier. At 2:24 PM, Trump tweeted an attack on Pence, saying he lacked “ courage ” to refuse to unilaterally block Biden’s victory.
It’s unclear if Herrera Beutler’s pleas will have any impact, just hours before the Senate is expected to complete its trial and vote.
Late Friday, a Democratic senator cited the McCarthy and Tuberville revelations as a reason to “suspend” the impeachment trial and to seek testimony from both Republican lawmakers.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (DR.I.) said house managers could also ask the Secret Service to return a message to the White House regarding VP Pence’s safety during the siege. What did Trump know and when did he know it? ” No other Democratic senator has so far explicitly called for these steps.
The nine House Democrats prosecuting Trump’s case have yet to indicate whether they want to call witnesses, although senators from both sides have expected the trial to end without any additional testimony and quickly move to closing arguments and a vote.
Trump’s lawyers have claimed that Trump was “shocked” by the violence in the Capitol and acted quickly to respond, claims that contradict memories of countless Trump allies and his own public statements on the day of the riots.
Herrera Beutler has been telling the McCarthy story since last month, including to her local newspaper, but it went largely unnoticed and was not mentioned in the House impeachment case against Trump that closed on Thursday.