Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade said on Tuesday morning that Democrats should not pursue impeachment against President Donald Trump for inciting the deadly Capitol Hill riot because it could inflame his supporters to threaten additional seditious acts of violence.
Following last week’s deadly riot that featured thousands of MAGA rioters storming the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s election, the FBI has warned about “armed protests” that are being planned at all 50 state capitols and Washington, D.C. in the days leading up to Biden’s inauguration.
At the top of Tuesday morning’s broadcast of the president’s favorite morning show, Kilmeade attempted to contrast House Democrats introducing articles of impeachment with Biden’s message of unifying the country.
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“Do you know one thing that can guarantee America won’t be united?” Kilmeade exclaimed, prompting co-host Ainsley Earhardt to immediately reply, “Having impeachment.”
Adding that Trump would likely not be in office by the time the impeachment trial concluded, Kilmeade grumbled that nothing “could be more disenchanting” because “we have been at each other’s throats.” Earhardt, meanwhile, claimed Democrats were pursuing impeachment to prevent Trump from running again. (Of course, impeachment itself wouldn’t actually ban Trump from running in 2024.)
“They don’t want him to run again, that’s fine,” Kilmeade declared. “You understand, too, a lot of people want him to, number one, continue to be a force in the Republican Party. Believe a lot what he believes. He has 75 million supporters!”
The Trump-boosting Fox host then suggested that the president shouldn’t be held accountable for inciting violence because his supporters are planning mass acts of terror—a policy of appeasement, perhaps.
“So if you have an overarching sense that I have got to bring the country together because we see what’s happening around this country, how 50 state houses are being threatened on Inauguration Day, this is the last thing you want to do,” he insisted.
He then went on to excoriate Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for exploring an option to bring up a quick impeachment vote, calling it “as dumb” as House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi describing Trump as an “imminent threat.”
Hours later, meanwhile, the president would issue a not-so-veiled threat to Congress if they continue to pursue impeachment.
“For Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to continue on this path, I think it's causing tremendous danger to our country and it's causing tremendous anger,” Trump said to reporters on Tuesday morning. “I want no violence.”
During an appearance on CNN, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) fired back at conservatives demanding a stop to impeachment to stem further violence, saying, “We’re not going to negotiate with domestic terrorists.”
