Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) previously cast blame on President Donald Trump for violence that occurred on January 6, 2021, during a protest at the United States Capitol.
In a post on X, Jack Posobiec, the Senior Editor of Human Events, shared an interview from January 15, 2021, in which Barr was asked by a CNN reporter if he thought Trump shared “the blame for” the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. The video, shared by Posobiec, comes as Barr is expected to announce that he is running for the United States Senate to take Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) seat.
“You called the Presidents rhetoric on January 6, quoting here, ‘regrettable and irresponsible,'” the CNN reporter noted. “The biggest picture, general question here, does the President in your view, share the blame for what followed his words?”
“Yeah, the President here is not blameless,” Barr responded. “But, ultimately I voted against impeachment, because as a legal matter, the Supreme Court has set the standard for what constitutes criminal incitement in a way that doesn’t violate the First Amendment.”
Barr continued to question what impeaching Trump would “actually accomplish,” and encouraged people to “follow the advice” of then-President-elect Joe Biden to try to “bring the country together” and to “turn the page.
“I do think that probably, the most regrettable part of it was the fact that the President inappropriately insinuated or suggested that the Vice President somehow had the power to not count the election returns, when the Constitution and Electoral Count Act simply do not give the Vice President that discretion,” Barr added. “The President should have taken more decisive action after these terrible pictures were coming out of these criminals who were beating these heroic Capitol Police.”
WATCH: Kentucky Senate candidate @barrforcongress, who just a few months back called Mitch McConnell his "mentor," blamed President Trump for the violence on J6, defended Mike Pence and said it was "inappropriate" that Trump asked Pence to send the electors back to the states. pic.twitter.com/Z7NsBPI3WY
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 21, 2025
In another video posted to X, Barr noted that Trump “bears some responsibility” for the violence that occurred during the protest at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“Obviously, the President bears some responsibility,” Barr said. “His action and words, obviously were very regrettable in many respects and he is not blameless.”
Please do not share this video of @barrforcongress blaming DJT for the violence on J6 & defending the impeachers; it will hurt his senate run in Kentucky.
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) April 18, 2025
"The President bears some responsibility. His actions & words obviously were very regrettable. He is not blameless.” pic.twitter.com/RX6JeChEtm
After protesters stormed that U.S. Capitol Building to protest the certification of the 2020 electoral college results, Trump encouraged his supporters to “remain peaceful.”
“I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful,” Trump said. “No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order — respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!”
As Breitbart News previously reported, on January 6, 2021, Trump encouraged his supporters to “go home,” while acknowledging their hurt and that they “had an election stolen” from them.
“You have to go home now, we have to have peace,” Trump said. “We have to have law and order.”
According to Politico, as Barr considers a U.S. Senate run to replace McConnell, he has reportedly faced “challenges” as the “anti-tax group Club for Growth released a TV ad in February attacking” him for voting “to raise the debt ceiling.”
