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Republican businessman Ken Langone blasted Wednesday’s Capitol Hill riot last week, indicating on CNBC that he felt “betrayed” by President Donald Trump’s actions that led to the deadly events.
“I think the biggest mistake anyone is going to make is trying to rationalize what happened last week, what the president did and what this crowd did,” Langone said on “Squawk Box. “. “There shouldn’t be any mitigation at all. It was horrible. It was wrong. I’m shocked.”
Trump supporters passed the U.S. Capitol exactly one week ago in an attempt to prevent Congress from finalizing President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory. Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and repeated lies about widespread fraud among November elected officials helped to piss off his supporters, and during a speech in Washington, the president encouraged supporters who gathered in the city to march towards Capitol.
“I feel betrayed,” said Langone, who has strongly supported Trump’s economic policies over the years while occasionally criticizing the president, such as his response to the murderous white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.
“Last Wednesday was a disgrace,” added Langone, the billionaire co-founder of Home Depot who has donated to Republicans over the years. “It should never have happened in this country. If it doesn’t break the hearts of all Americans, something’s wrong. It breaks my heart, for sure. I didn’t sign up for it. “
Langone, who is chairman of the board of directors of NYU Langone Medical Center, urged Americans to side with Biden and quit partisanship. “If there is a time in history when all Americans have to be patriots, it is that time,” he said.
“I’m going to do everything I can from day one to make sure I do my part to make Joe Biden the most successful president in the history of this country,” Langone said. “There is a selfish reason for this, we have some very serious major issues to deal with in America,” such as the coronavirus pandemic and public education.
Langone’s comments come as the House of Representatives prepares to vote again to impeach Trump, this second time for his role in inciting the riot on Capitol Hill. The Democrat-led effort won the support of a few GOP members, including Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming. She is the third Republican in the House.
“I don’t care” if Trump is impeached, Langone said. “All I care about is one thing: On January 20, Joe Biden is going to be sworn in as president.”
Asked specifically about the Republican members of Congress who voted against finalizing Biden’s victory, even after the deadly riot, Langone said, “I don’t know what they had in mind, frankly. … is a stage play? “
“It’s going to be a lot of time, and I’m sure there will be a lot of energy spent, to do what they need to do whether it’s for Trump, whether it’s for these senators or whatever.” , Langone added. “At the end of the day, thank goodness we are a democracy and the voters will have the final say.”
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