Condemning the Capitol Building riots, the first lady said, "This time is solely about healing our country and its citizens."
First Lady Melania Trump has finally broken her silence on the disturbing Capitol riots that took place on January 6, 2021. Mourning the death of the five victims in the statement shared on the White House official website under the title, Our Path Forward, on Monday, January 11, she said, "It has been inspiring to witness firsthand what the people of our great nation will do for one another, especially when we are at our most vulnerable."
First lady Melania Trump condemns last week's Capitol riot, calls for unity and takes aim at her critics. https://t.co/xosslkbmHN
— Capital Journal (@WSJPolitics) January 11, 2021
Naming the four Trump supporters accused of inciting the mob to violent action along with the police officer who died in the line of duty, she continued, "Most recently, my heart goes out to: Air Force Veteran, Ashli (Babbitt), Benjamin (Phillips), Kevin Greeson, (Roseanne) Boyland, and Capitol Police Officers, Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood. I pray for their families comfort and strength during this difficult time."
Before condemning the violence, the first lady called out the "salacious gossip and unwarranted personal attacks" that followed after the riots. "I find it shameful that surrounding these tragic events there has been salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations on me -- from people who are looking to be relevant and have an agenda. This time is solely about healing our country and its citizens. It should not be used for personal gain."
First lady Melania Trump breaks her silence on Capitol riot, then hits back at her critics https://t.co/nmBl2ECDmV pic.twitter.com/iVStmFglKt
— CTV News (@CTVNews) January 11, 2021
Noting that she was "disappointed and disheartened" by last week's violence, Melania added, "Make no mistake about it, I absolutely condemn the violence that has occurred on our Nation's Capitol. Violence is never acceptable." She asked the people to "stop the violence" and stop making "assumptions based on the color of a person’s skin or use differing political ideologies as a basis for aggression and viciousness," stressing that it's time to "focus on what unites us, and rise above what divides us."
Melania's statement comes after reports hit the news that during the insurrection, she was engaged in a furniture photo shoot at the White House, as per CNN. Talking about the elections she said that it is "inspiring to see that so many have found a passion and enthusiasm in participating in an election, but we must not allow that passion to turn to violence. Our path forward is to come together, find our commonalities, and be the kind and strong people that I know we are." She concluded by asking "for healing, grace, understanding, and peace for our great Nation."
Visual Guide: How events unfolded when a mob stormed the Capitol building Wednesday. https://t.co/CJPFSaQFt2
— Capital Journal (@WSJPolitics) January 8, 2021
According to ABC, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi revealed that the Democrats have requested Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25 Amendment. This would lead to Pence immediately using "his powers under section 4 of the 25th Amendment to convene and mobilize the principal officers of the executive departments in the Cabinet to declare what is obvious to a horrified Nation: That the President is unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office.”
Donald Trump was impeached for inciting the US Capitol riots, making him the first-ever US president to be impeached twice while in office.
References:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/first-lady-melania-trump-path-forward/
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/11/politics/melania-trump-capitol-violence/index.html
