Audio: McCarthy Said He Would Urge Trump to Resign After Jan. 6 Riot

Kevin McCarthy, the senior Republican in the United States House of Representatives, came under pressure from a few of his colleagues after an audio tape surfaced of him declaring also that Donald Trump ought resign after the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.

The explosive video was published by the New York Times and aired on MSNBC Thursday night, only half a day after McCarthy issued a long and complex denial of an earlier Times report that said that he and Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell at first held Trump responsible for the violence and individually expressed anger toward him.

McCarthy can be heard addressing a question from Republican representative Liz Cheney, who was in party leadership at the time, in the recording, which is a sound bite from a conversation with House GOP leaders. Cheney asked McCarthy if he thought Trump would resign if Congress approved a 25th amendment resolution declaring Trump unfit of keeping office.

McCarthy issued a sweeping rejection of the New York Times article on Thursday morning, before the footage was posted, claiming it is “completely untrue and inaccurate.”

McCarthy has not replied to the audio clip’s publication. A representative for Cheney, who is also heard on the video, stated that she did not distribute the tape and had no idea who leaked it.

However, McConnell is said to have informed two of his top advisors, “If this isn’t grounds for impeachment, I don’t know what is.” According to the book, McConnell added, “The Democrats are trying to take care of the son of a bitch for all of us.”

Despite publicly criticizing Trump for his participation in the attack, McConnell supported to convict the former leader in his impeachment hearing. He also stated that if Trump is the Republican candidate in 2024, he will support him. Read more Top 10 Most Protected Persons in The World.

McCarthy, for his side, has made a fuller 180-degree turn, claiming that Trump was uninformed of the attempt until McCarthy informed him that it was really place. He also had blasted the special House panel reviewing the insurgency and has refused to assist with its investigation into discussions he had with Trump following the attack.