In this file photo taken on November 24, 2020 US President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks on the stock market during an unscheduled appearance in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC. (AFP photo)
Former US president Donald Trump on Tuesday abruptly canceled a news conference he had scheduled for Jan. 6, the one-year anniversary of his supporters deadly attack on the US Capitol.
It was unclear why Trump canceled the event, which had originally been announced on Dec. 21. In a statement, the former Republican president blamed what he called the "bias and dishonesty" of the House of Representatives probe of the riot, as well as the news media, a favorite target.
"In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the J6 Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media, I am canceling the Jan 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally," Trump said in a statement.
Trumps announcement is good news for Senate Republicans, who earlier in the day expressed worry that he would pull their party back into debating his false election claims.
"I dont think thats a good idea," said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), when asked about the press conference earlier Tuesday. "I guess it depends on what hes going to say. But early assumptions are that its going to be an aggressive statement. I just dont think its a good idea."
Similarly, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said she wanted to "stay focused on congressional activities." Also, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who voted to convict Trump over his role in the Capitol riot, said the event wasnt a "terribly good idea," but added, "What am I going to do about it?"
A majority of Americans, 60 percent, said Trumps level of responsibility for the attack was either a "great deal" or a "good amount," showed a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll on Saturday.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will speak about the attack on Thursday, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has scheduled a series of events to mark the anniversary.
"The president is going to speak to the truth of what happened, not the lies that some have spread since, and the peril it has posed to the rule of law and our system of democratic governance," White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday, in the first preview of Bidens remarks.
During the Jan. 6 riot, thousands of Donald Trumps supporters attacked police, vandalized the Capitol and sent members of Congress and then-Vice President Mike Pence running for their lives on that day.
Democrats have been arguing that the riot was an insurrection based on disinformation spread by Trump, who alleges that he is the true victor of the 2020 presidential election and not Joe Biden.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/25702
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