WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said President Joe Biden won the 2020 election legitimately and argued that Republicans should turn the page on former President Donald Trump, distancing herself from claims of widespread voter fraud and emphasizing a need to focus on current national challenges.
Capito, a Republican, made the remarks in a statement explaining her vote against an article of impeachment charging Trump with ‘incitement of insurrection’ following the January 6, 2021 incident at the U.S. Capitol. While voting to acquit, Capito explicitly rejected assertions that the election was stolen and said she had voted to certify Biden’s victory.
“I firmly believe in our electoral system and in the power of the voice of the people,” Capito said. “The American people spoke on Election Day in record numbers and voted to elect Joe Biden as our next president, a result I voted to certify.”
Her comments place her at odds with some Republicans who continue to claim, without evidence, that voter fraud cost Trump the election. Capito said the violent assault on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob was “completely unacceptable” and threatened the nation’s democratic institutions and peaceful transfer of power.
“The violent actions that day were previously unimaginable and should have never happened,” she said, calling the attack an embarrassment to the country.
Capito added that Trump’s conduct surrounding the events of January 6 was “disgraceful” and said history would judge him harshly.
Capito said her vote against impeachment was based on her view that the Constitution limits impeachment to current officeholders, arguing that impeaching a private citizen would set a dangerous precedent. Trump had already left office when the Senate trial began.
At the same time, Capito said the former president’s political era had ended and urged Congress — and her party — to shift focus away from him.
“The fact is that the Trump presidency is now over, but the challenges facing our nation are not,” she said. “It is time to turn our full attention to the American people and move forward.”
She cited the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, economic recovery and the need to support families and businesses as priorities that should take precedence over divisive political battles, signaling a call for Republicans to look beyond Trump as they chart the party’s future.
