Geraldo says Trump is 'guilty as charged' of inciting insurrection, but hopes he's not convicted
On Monday, just one day before the start of former President Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial, Fox News correspondent at-large and Trump ally Geraldo Rivera joined The Story With Martha MacCallum, where he admitted that he believes Trump is guilty of inciting the deadly insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Many Trump defenders insist Trump's speech preceding the insurrection was not the reason for the violence. But Rivera said he believes Trump is guilty due to his behavior following the presidential election, constantly repeating unsubstantiated claims that the election was stolen.
“Maybe Karl [Rove] and I differ in this, but I believe that President Trump is guilty as charged of inciting that mob,” Rivera said. “Not specifically to go and ravage the Capitol, but his words and actions following his refusal to accept the election for 77 days, and the inflammatory rhetoric he used about the big steal and so forth. I think the president really deserved this admonition from Congress.”
Though a recent poll showed that most Americans (56 percent) believe Trump should be convicted, that remains an incredibly tall task for Democrats as they would need every Democrat and 17 Republicans to vote to convict. And despite conceding that he believes Trump is guilty, Rivera hopes Democrats fail to get a conviction.
“I hope he’s not convicted,” Rivera said. “I hope that, ya know, they hang it on the procedural that he’s out of office already so the issue is moot. But we cannot pretend that the president has clean hands in this.”
The Story With Martha MacCallum airs weekdays at 3 p.m. on Fox News Channel.
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