BOSTON (WHDH) - Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday said he was sickened by the sight of an angry and destructive mob loyal to President Trump storming the U.S. Capitol, calling the insurrection the result of weeks of the president falsely attacking the integrity of the election.
“Yesterday’s events were appalling, disgraceful, and depressing,” Baker said during a news conference at the State House. “They were the culmination of President Trump repeating — over and over again — that the American electoral system is a fraud.”
In a rally prior to the attack on the Capitol, Trump egged on the rioters and urged his supporters to descend on the nation’s capital to protest Congress’ formal approval of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
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“He thanked the mob for their support,” Baker said. “The whole thing makes me sick. Yesterday’s riot was a dark moment for our country made even more depressing by the president’s role leading up to it and his wholly inadequate response to the violence.”
One rioter was shot to death by Capitol Police during the riot. Three other people died in “medical emergencies.” Dozens of arrests were made.
Baker also called out Trump for putting the Capitol in a vulnerable position, saying he very well knew that hundreds upon hundreds of his supporters would follow his wishes and march to the home of Congress.
“After he stoked the flames of outrage for weeks leading up to the events of yesterday, he refused to prepare the U.S. Capitol for the possibility of violence and left it nearly defenseless,” Baker added. “His remarks during and after the attack on the Capitol were disgraceful.”
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Baker also blasted Trump for calling out state and local officials “for not doing enough” to protect residents during the Black Lives Matter marches that took place this past summer.
A short while earlier, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh said Trump had once again proven to be “incapable” of serving as president and he called on lawmakers to remove him from office.
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