Michael Tackett, the deputy Washington bureau chief of the Associated Press who authored The Price of Power, said that McConnell told him “there’s no doubt” Trump “inspired” Jan. 6 in excerpts released to Axios. 

“I just hope that he’ll have to pay a price for it,” McConnell allegedly said. 

“I’m not at all conflicted about whether what the president did is an impeachable offense. I think it is,” the senator continued, adding that Trump’s actions to allegedly ignite Jan. 6 was “about as close to an impeachable offense as you can imagine.” 

Following Jan. 6, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump just days before his term ended for what the lower chamber described as “incitement of insurrection.” 

Tackett wrote that McConnell believed “from the start” that the charges brought against Trump “had merit.” However, he ultimately voted against convicting the former president, arguing that as Trump was no longer in office, he should not be eligible for impeachment in the Senate. 

Trump has vigorously defended himself from accusations that he was responsible for sparking the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol in 2021. He has often pointed to a post he made to social media at the time of the incident that urged supporters to “remain peaceful.” 

“No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order — respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue,” he said in a post to X. 

At least 53,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., on the day in question for a Trump rally after the 2020 election was called for President Joe Biden. During the event, Trump and his top allies outlined concerns with how the election had unfolded and argued that the Democrats had “stolen” the election. 

“I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard,” Trump said. 

A portion of those who attended Trump’s rally subsequently walked over to the Capitol, where some of them breached the building. It was later reported that at least five people had been killed during the incident. A Trump supporter named Ashli Babbitt was the only person killed as a direct result of the event, while another Trump supporter was ultimately determined to have died from “amphetamine intoxication.” One police officer was found to have died of natural causes, and four additional police officers killed themselves following Jan. 6.

I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021

In the years since, Trump and his affiliates have continued to allege that there were irregularities in the 2020 election that make them concerned the results could have been “rigged,” though courts have thrown out all the legal challenges to the election. But the Trump camp continues to assert that Trump was in no way responsible for the Capitol breach and that, ultimately, he presided over a peaceful transfer of power to Biden days after Jan. 6. 

“It’s really rich for Democratic leaders to say that Donald Trump is a unique threat to democracy when he peacefully gave over power on January the 20th, as we have done for 250 years in this country,” Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) said when pressed on Jan. 6 during his vice presidential debate with Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) earlier this month. 

“Remember, he said that on January 6th, the protesters ought to protest peacefully. And on January 20th, what happened? Joe Biden became the President. Donald Trump left the White House,” he added. 

Walz shot back that Vance was propagating a “revisionist history on this,” saying that Jan. 6 “manifested itself because of Donald Trump’s inability to say, he is still saying he didn’t lose the election.”