MSNBC's Joe Scarborough blasted Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for ignoring a dire warning from Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) about violence on Jan. 6.
A new biography of the retiring Utah Republican revealed that he spoke to Sen. Angus King (I-ME) days before Congress met to certify the election, and they discussed growing evidence that suggested right-wing violence erupting at the U.S. Capitol, and the "Morning Joe" host ripped McConnell, then the Senate majority leader, for neglecting to respond to Romney's urgent message.
"On Jan. 2, Angus King called Mitt Romney and said, 'We have a problem, intel is suggesting that the far-right extremists are coming to Washington, D.C., they're bringing weapons, there's going to be violence,'" Scarborough said. "Mitt Romney immediately picks up his phone. He texts, he texts Mitch McConnell and says, 'We're in trouble, we need to plan for this, this is what's going down.' Mitch McConnell didn't return his text, radio silence when a sitting member of the United States Senate told the Senate majority leader, 'We are going to be facing violence on Jan. 6.'"
Of course, violence did erupt outside the Capitol and rioters broke down barricades and went inside, and surveillance video shows Officer Eugene Goodman sprinting down a hallway to impede the rioters as Romney flees to safety down the same corridor.
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"Mitt Romney thought back about that as the senators were being chased all around the Capitol, and they were trying to find a safe room," Scarborough said. "One of the security guards said, 'Well, the senators know where they're going,' and Romney's aide snapped and said, 'No, they don't, they don't know where they're going. What, there's no plan for this? You have no plan to get these Republican senators and Democratic senators to a safe space?' At that point, Mitt Romney realized, that not only had Mitch McConnell ignored his warnings, he ignored the warnings of everybody else, and there they were, lost among a mob, desperately trying to find a room where they could save United States senators' lives."
Romney doesn't believe that was an accident or an oversight, Scarborough said.
"A very large portion of my party, Mitt Romney said, really doesn't believe in the Constitution, and it's confirmed when Donald Trump says he wants to terminate the Constitution, and four or six of eight Republicans say, 'Yeah, we're on that guy's side.' people ask, why is Mitt Romney retiring from the Senate? I ask, how in the hell did he stay there in that Republican Party for so long?"
Watch the video below or at this link.
MSNBC 09 14 2023 06 08 21youtu.be
