President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani finally got around to condemning the chaotic assault on the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon, blaming “Antifa involvement” for the violence he and the president incited.
Both Trump and Giuliani encouraged the president’s supporters to march on the Capitol as Congress certified Joe Biden’s election win.
Giuliani helped stoke the mob’s anger by calling for “trial by combat” to overturn the election results before Trump commanded the crowd to “go to Congress” to pressure Republicans to block the Electoral College vote.
“The violence at the Capitol was shameful,” Giuliani tweeted. “It was as criminal as the rioting and looting this summer which was not condemned strongly enough by the Left. This violence is condemned in the strongest terms. Our movement values respect for law and order and for the Police.”
He then tried to blame “antifa involvement” for the violence while peddling unfounded claims about voter fraud.
“Our cause is to obtain an honest vote and to end voter fraud before it becomes a permanent tactic of the enabled and media protected Democrat Party,” Giuliani tweeted. “Violence is rejected, condemned and counter productive. Antifa involvement is no excuse. It contradicts our values.”
He was hit with swift and strong backlash:
Our cause is to obtain an honest vote and to end voter fraud before it becomes a permanent tactic of the enabled and media protected Democrat Party.
Violence is rejected, condemned and counter productive.
Antifa involvement is no excuse.
It contradicts our values.
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) January 7, 2021
You called for trial by combat you miserable fascist fuckstick.
— Seth Masket (@smotus) January 7, 2021
Ohh look , its Rudy's friend pic.twitter.com/92G5R8HSI7
— Ken fitz (@Goat4ire) January 7, 2021
That's odd…I could swear I heard you calling for it at your rally….
You won't be able to stay out of prison much longer.
I can't believe how far you've fallen…
— Automation Man (@ManAutomation) January 7, 2021
You wanted trial by combat. You wanted this. Please don’t try to back track it
— CÁT (@Catia1nOnly) January 7, 2021
What you actually called for to that same mob was “trial by combat” – they were following your and Trump’s encouragements.
This is a direct result of the lies you’ve been touting for the last four years.
— Madison Warner (@MadisonWarner) January 7, 2021
Give it a rest Rudi, you and @realDonaldTrump incited this violence, it's all on TAPE so you can't deny it, which lead to death's. You both need to take responsibility.
— NualaG (@NualaG1) January 7, 2021
The President of the United States incited all of this.
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) January 6, 2021
