Val Demings: Donald Trump ‘is directly responsible’

Democratic Rep. Val Demings called President Donald Trump “directly responsible” for the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol, the injuries and five deaths.

One of those deaths, announced early Friday, was of Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick, who was reportedly struck in the head with a fire extinguisher by rioters surging into the Capitol Wednesday. That death particularly brought visible ire from Demings, who, underneath it all, is a blue-blooded cop who spent 26 years on the Orlando Police force, rising to chief.

“President Donald John Trump is directly responsible for what happened, the violent acts, that resulted in people being injured and some people losing their lives,” Demings said in an interview on MSNBC Friday morning. “He is directly responsible.”

Demings also lashed out at Republicans in Congress who stood by the President. She also lashed out at Cabinet members who she said looked the other way for years and are now fleeing the administration when they should stay and vote to remove him from office under the 25th Amendment. She also lashed out at the rioters themselves, and at the speakers at Trump’s rally who egged them on.

She vowed they all will be held accountable. She said it was Congress’s job to hold them all accountable.

Friday afternoon, the Orlando congresswoman and the rest of House Democrats will caucus on whether to seek a second impeachment. Demings made it clear they can and she hopes they will swiftly impeach him. So have many other Democrats from Florida.

Demings, one of the House managers and leaders of the last impeachment of Trump, already has announced she intends to cosponsor articles of impeachment.

“In addition, the members of the U.S. Senate and the members of the U.S. House who have enabled this President are also responsible. The persons who attended the riot, and you heard their statements, who were inciting violence, to march down to the Capitol and basically do whatever it took to stop the votes from being certified are responsible,” she added. “Our job is to hold them accountable.”

She said she feared what “havoc” Trump might be capable of in his last 12 days in office. Consequently, she believes the House can and should act swiftly to impeach.

“I believe we can do just about anything that we want to do if we have the will to do so,” Demings said.

“We are prepared to do something because we do have to take action,” Deming said. “It is quite clear.”