“I will vote to impeach the President”

DC Attorney General Karl Racine today said his office would investigate remarks made by President Trump and a number of pro-Trump Republicans in the lead-up to the Capitol riot to see if their words had violated any laws. 

“Whether they rise to the level of incitement, we’re going look at all of our law books and the facts including the recording of the President Trump’s comments,” Racine told CNN’s Jake Tapper, adding that the President’s remarks, were at the least “reckless” and “unpresidential.”

In a speech Wednesday, Trump ginned up the crowd of his supporters gathered on the National Mall, telling them “we’re going to walk down to the Capitol” and that “you’ll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength.”

Today, in his first public remarks to reporters after the insurrection, however, Trump insisted his speech inciting the riot at the Capitol was “totally appropriate” while at the same time calling for “no violence.” 

Racine today said his office would also review remarks made by other Trump allies who spoke just before the mob made its way to the Capitol Building. 

“We’ll also take a look at the comments of others, including Don [Trump] Jr., Rudy Giuliani, and Congressman [Mo] Brooks,” said Racine. “All of their comments were inflammatory at the least and merit a full investigation.”

Racine said his office would parse the remarks carefully in an attempt to differentiate between words that were merely inflammatory, and those that may have reached the legal standard of incitement.

He said they will “focus on the timing of the remarks.”

“Exactly what else was being said by the speakers and the crowd, how close the crowd was to the Capitol, what exactly was the direction and instruction? What did the crowd itself think they were being urged to do?” Racine added.

“All of those facts will be relevant,” he said.

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