Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) conceded that it was not a good idea for President Donald Trump to urge his supporters to come to the capitol after they stormed the building and disrupted the election certification proceedings.
“I don’t think urging people to come to the Capitol was a good idea,” Hawley told CNN reporter Manu Raju.
Hawley is one of Trump’s staunchest supporters in the Senate and led the effort by some Republican senators to object to the electoral vote on the grounds of voter fraud and election irregularities.
But Hawley did not blame Trump for the violence that occurred after the president’s rally with supporters in front of the White House on Wednesday.
“The responsibility of violent criminal acts is with violent criminals,” he said.
The Senate reconvened about six hours after the proceeding to certify the electoral college votes that were interrupted by the protests.