Former Trump AG Bill Barr Condemns Trump, Cabinet Member Resigns Over Capitol Protest

Former Attorney General William Barr, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, and others associated with the Trump administration have condemned the President and resigned over the events that took place yesterday at the Capitol.

Barr, who had disagreed with Trump over the scope of election fraud, called the statements and actions of Trump a “betrayal of his office and supporters.”

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao resigned on Thursday on the heels of the rally, saying that the actions of Trump supporters had “deeply troubled her.” 

William Barr, Trump’s former Attorney General, accused the President of “orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress” and called his conduct a “betrayal of his office” in response to pro-Trump riots that took place at the US Capitol on Wednesday. https://t.co/AcFljr1Hjp

— CNN (@CNN) January 7, 2021

Barr had been viewed as a fierce loyalist of Trump until he disagreed with the president on the existence of voter fraud.

Other Trump administration officials to tender resignations include Stephanie Grisham, First Lady Melania Trump’s Chief of Staff and Mick Mulvaney, a former acting Chief of Staff and now U.S. special envoy to Northern Ireland.

It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the U.S. Department of Transportation. pic.twitter.com/rFxPsBoh6t

— Sec. Elaine Chao (@SecElaineChao) January 7, 2021

RELATED: Joe Scarborough Questions ‘How Many Of These Capitol Hill Cops Are Members Of Donald Trump’s Cult?’

Barr And Chao Condemn Violence

Barr and Chao both strongly condemned the actions of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday, breaching security, and causing damage.

The gathering had been billed as a rally, a gathering for Trump supporters to voice their outrage at what many of them felt was a stolen 2020 presidential election. 

The Senate had begun the proceedings yesterday to officially certify the 2020 presidential election, with former Vice President Joe Biden as the victor, when the entire building was evacuated because protesters had breached security and were entering the senate chamber. 

In announcing her resignation, Chao stated, “Yesterday, our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the President stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed.”

According to CNBC, Barr stated that “Trump was responsible for orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress.” He called the president’s actions, “inexcusable.” 

In another report from Politico, Barr called the outbreak of violence, “outrageous and despicable,” and that “Federal agencies should move immediately to disperse it.” 

“Orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable.” Former Attorney General William Barr said that President Trump betrayed his office by encouraging a mob of supporters to intimidate lawmakers into overturning the election results.https://t.co/Uzxq6rwpXm

— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 7, 2021

RELATED: Dan Crenshaw Condemns Capitol Protests – Calls On Trump To Tell Supporters He ‘Misled Them’

25th Amendment?

In light of yesterday’s violence, and the condemnation of it not only by Barr and Chao, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has called for the invoking of the 25th Amendment.

She stated earlier today that if the Vice President and the Cabinet did not do so, that Congress would consider a second impeachment.

Several members of Congress, including Republicans, have also joined in for the call for the immediate removal of the president from office. 

Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger stated that Trump was, “unmoored, not just from his duty, or even his oath, but from reality itself.”

He urged Vice president Mike Pence and the remaining Cabinet to “end this nightmare.”