Former President Barack Obama has declared that President Donald Trump incited Wednesday’s attack on the United States Capitol.
Obama called the incident a great dishonor and shame for America.
A violent protest erupted after Trump addressed his followers, vowing “never to concede”.
The former leader said history will remember the incident “incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election, as a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation”.
“We’d be kidding ourselves if we treated it as a total surprise”, Obama’s statement read.
He noted that for two months, “a political party and its accompanying media ecosystem has too often been unwilling to tell their followers the truth”.
Obama said they have refused to admit that the November 3 battle at the poll was not a particularly close election and that President-Elect Joe Biden will be inaugurated on January 20.
He regretted that their fantasy narrative has spiraled further from reality, and builds upon years of sown resentments.
“We’re seeing the consequences, whipped up into a violent crescendo. Republican leaders…can continue down this road and keep stoking the raging fires or choose reality and take the first steps toward extinguishing the flames,” he said.
Obama, however, commended members of Trump’s party for speaking against the assault on America’s legislature.