 |
| Photo Credit: AP. |
Speaking with “Fox News Sunday” guest host Bret Baier,
Hutchinson said he did not believe Trump was criminally responsible for January
6 riot but does think Mr. Trump shares blame for the insurrection
“Trump is politically, morally responsible for much of what
has happened, but in terms of criminal liability, I think the committee has a
long way to go to establish that,” the governor said of the House select panel
investigating January 6 Capitol riot.
Several Republicans who spoke out against former President
Trump’s unfounded conspiracy theory of widespread election fraud have been punished
by fellow Republicans. An example is Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo) who was stripped
of her congressional leadership post as a result of her stance. She is now the
vice chair of the Congressional select committee investigating the January 6
insurrection.
Mr Hutchinson described the January 6 riot as a “costly
error” for democracy and called on his fellow Republicans to try and understand
what happened on the said day and draw lessons from it.
“Republicans need to do a lot of soul searching as to what
is the right thing here and what is the right thing for our democracy in the
future,” Hutchinson said, “and not simply adhere to the basic instincts of some
of our base.”
The panel investing the January 6 incidence held its first
public hearing last week and hearings would continue this week.
No fewer than five persons died as a result of the riot
mostly from suicides. Mr Trump had made a speech prior to the riot encouraging
his supporters to storm the U.S Capitol where lawmakers were preparing to
certify Joe Biden’s victory at the 2020 polls and make their voices heard.