Anderson Cooper on Monday explained why the country can’t “just move on” from last week’s Capitol riot by pro-Trump supporters.
Donald Trump, his Republican enablers and the supporters Trump stirred into deadly violence must face serious consequences, argued the CNN anchor, because the violent insurrection wasn’t just some “outrage of the week from this White House.”
“No one is saying that anyone who ever supported President Trump is as guilty as those that attacked the Capitol,” Cooper acknowledged. “75 million people voted for the president in the last election. Good, honest, decent people. Hard to imagine that most of them aren’t sickened by seeing thugs with bats and zip ties beating police officers and carrying Confederate flags and talking about hanging the vice president.”
“What people are saying is there need to be consequences for what we witnessed on Wednesday,” the anchor continued. “Consequences not just for the thugs who broke the law, but for the president and his enablers whose lies and words and leadership led to the attack.”
Cooper noted that the assault “wouldn’t have happened if it were not for the lies and actions and encouragement of this president. It is that simple.”
“To make sure this never happens again, people need to be held accountable,” he added. “This was mayhem and murder in the Capitol, instigated by the president.”
Check out Cooper’s monologue here: