As they should’ve been, Thursday's Good Morning America was focused heavily on the horrific violence at the Capitol building yesterday, where a mob of angry Trump supporters stormed the building in protest over the election results. Many law enforcement officers were injured as they clashed violently with the pro-Trump mob and one woman even tragically was killed.
GOP congressman Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) witnessed this Trump supporter’s shooting and spoke to George Stephanopoulos about the events of yesterday during the first hour of GMA, Thursday morning. While the interview started out cordial, tension rose after Stephanopoulos as the host didn't get the answers he wanted.
After Mullin spoke at length about witnessing people trying to break into the House chamber, he condemned their violent actions and praised the Capitol police for how they handled the situation. That’s when Stephanopoulos encouraged him to attack Trump:
“That mob was encouraged by the president. Your colleague, Republican colleague, Liz Cheney, a member of the leadership said there's no question the president formed the mob. He lit the flame. What must the president do right now?” he posed.
But Mullin argued that every individual there was responsible for their own actions:
“I disagree with that. We're all responsible for our own actions full stop. It's our actions and you can get -- we're all adults here or supposed to be adults,” he began. The representative then alluded to the media’s bias in covering the Trump presidency and polarizing the country: “These flames have been fanned for over five years now,” he began.
Stephanopoulos didn’t like the direction this was heading. “By the president!” he interjected.
But Mullins pushed back: “If anybody is to blame it's all of us, you know, the media is to blame, the right and left is to blame, but at the end of the day we're all responsible for our own actions,” he concluded.
The GMA anchor bristled at the media being called out. “Oh congressman, I don't think you saw the media encouraging those mobsters yesterday. You did see the president,” he noted.
Mullin agreed that the media didn't do anything yesterday to foment violence, but argued this anger had been building up because of how hateful Americans had become to each other, while he still condemned the rioters' actions as their own:
...I'm saying what has happened for the last five years. As I say as a country, we are better than this. There is nobody to blame but ourselves when we start acting in that manner. There is no excuse and no one is to blame but ourselves. We need to take a hard look at our country, we need to take a hard look at the way we debate. We can agree to disagree but that doesn't mean I don't love you. That doesn't mean I don't care for you. That doesn't mean I don't love this country any more or less than you but what we did yesterday was absolutely inexcusable.
But Stephanopoulos wouldn’t hear it. He ended the interview snapping, “We didn’t do it. The mobsters did it. The rioters did it. The President encouraged it. But thank you for your time, Congressman.”
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Read the transcript below:
ABC’s Good Morning America
1/7/2021
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: That mob was encouraged by the president. Your colleague, Republican colleague, Liz Cheney, a member of the leadership said there's no question the president formed the mob. He lit the flame. What must the president do right now.
REP. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-OK): I disagree with that. We're all responsible for our own actions full stop. It's our actions and you can get -- we're all adults here or supposed to be adults. These flames have been fanned for over five years now.
STEPHANOPOULOS: By the president.
MULLIN: If anybody is to blame it's all of us, you know, the media is to blame, the right and left is to blame, but at the end of the day we're all responsible for our own actions.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Oh congressman, I don't think you saw the media encouraging those mobsters yesterday. You did see the president.
MULLIN: No, not yesterday. Sir, I'm not saying you guys did -- absolutely not. I'm saying what has happened for the last five years. As I say as a country, we are better than this. There is nobody to blame but ourselves when we start acting in that manner. There is no excuse and no one is to blame but ourselves. We need to take a hard look at our country, we need to take a hard look at the way we debate. We can agree to disagree but that doesn't mean I don't love you. That doesn't mean I don't care for you. That doesn't mean I don't love this country any more or less than you but what we did yesterday was absolutely inexcusable.
STEPHANOPOULOS: We didn’t do it. The mobsters did it. The rioters did it. The President encouraged it. But thank you for your time, Congressman.
