Thread by @SethAbramson

BREAKING: In new video, Trump lies repeatedly about his sedition. He says the Capitol attack outraged him—reports say he was "enthusiastic." He says he called out the Guard immediately—reports say he rebuffed requests "repeatedly."

This is a raft of lies.

1/ Trump *repeatedly* tweeted after the attack began—and never *once* said rioters should leave the Capitol. He now claims he acted quickly to see to it his insurrectionists were "expelled." This bald-faced lie is contradicted not just by media reports but his public statements.

2/ He calls the insurrectionists "demonstrators" and implies only *some* of the rioters "broke the law"—when in fact *all* did, as all the insurrectionists were knowingly trespassing on federal property under circumstances in which the fact of a trespass was unmistakable to them.

3/ He says he pursued only "legal" avenues to contest the vote. Not true—he incited an armed mob to march on Congress to *interrupt* their legal duties. He described to the mob them making their voices directly head by members of Congress, when the Capitol was off-limits to them.

4/ Trump says he spent the last few weeks "defending" democracy. Not true. All America heard his hour-plus call with Georgia's Secretary of State—in which he threatened Raffensperger to try to get him to "find" enough votes for the Georgia tally to be "recalculated" in his favor.

5/ Trump said he was trying to ensure "faith and confidence in all future elections." Not true. His rhetoric has been, *at every turn*, to tell his voters that the Democratic Party and any Republicans who oppose him have ensured all future elections will be "rigged" and "stolen."

6/ Trump recorded this deceitful video for *one* reason: to avoid impeachment by the House and removal by the Senate, as a Senate vote post-trial could preclude him from ever holding public office again, and he wants to keep open the option of running for president again in 2024.

7/ He calls his supporters "wonderful" less than a day after thousands of them, including many who were armed, *attacked the U.S. Capitol*—murdering a police officer, looting government offices, destroying property, issuing threats, carrying Confederate flags, demanding a *coup*.

8/ The end of the video is chilling, as Trump promises his fans that "our incredible journey is only just beginning"—words that now sound like more of a threat than a reassurance. He's promising to continue his "MAGA" movement as it was before. And "before" led to a coup attempt.

9/ This video is a craven attempt to save a presidency that has justly collapsed. His cabinet and deputies are resigning; he's not on speaking terms with his VP; there's a bipartisan push for his impeachment and removal; and all America knows him to be a clear and present danger.

10/ Don't forget that in his last statement before this—when he was less worried about impeachment—he wrote, "I totally disagree with the outcome of the election and the facts bear me out," adding that yesterday was "only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!"