Tom Cotton calls on Trump to concede, ‘quit misleading the American people’

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) called on President Trump to concede his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden, saying he should “quit misleading” the American people.

“It’s past time for the president to accept the results of the election, quit misleading the American people, and repudiate mob violence,” Cotton said in a statement Wednesday evening.

“And the senators and representatives who fanned the flames by encouraging the president and leading their supporters to believe that their objections could reverse the election results should withdraw those objections,” he continued.

The remarks from Cotton, a key Trump ally, came hours after a mob of Trump supporters forced their way into the Capitol building around 2 p.m., prompting lawmakers to evacuate and suspend their tally of the Electoral College votes certifying Biden’s victory.

Cotton was among the GOP senators who previously said they would not join an effort by conservative lawmakers in the House and Senate to challenge the Electoral College vote tally, one of the last formalities before Biden takes office on Jan. 20.

Rioters raided the House and Senate chambers, vandalizing Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office in the process. One woman died after she was shot in the chest as demonstrators entered the Capitol.

Cotton called the riot an “insurrection,” adding there’s “no quarter for insurrectionists.”

“Fortunately, the Capitol Police and other law-enforcement agencies restored order without the need for federal troops,” Cotton said. “But the principle remains the same: no quarter for insurrectionists. Those who attacked the Capitol today should face the full extent of federal law.”

Lawmakers reconvened shortly after 8 p.m. to resume counting the electoral votes, and some Republicans indicated they would reverse course and no longer lodge objections to the election results. Still, many lawmakers blamed Trump for the violence, with some calling for him to be removed from office before Jan. 20.