Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was warned about the possibility of violence at the Capitol on January 6 by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) but the then-Senate majority leader ignored him, according to excerpts from a new book obtained by The Atlantic.
The book, “Romney, A Reckoning” by McKay Coppins, details a Jan. 2, 2021 conversation between Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) and Romney in which King told him he learned from a top Pentagon official that right wing extremist groups were threatening violence on Jan. 6 and some threats were directed at Romney.
“There’s talk of gun smuggling, of bombs and arson, of targeting the traitors in Congress who are responsible for this travesty,” the excerpt reads. “Romney’s name has been popping up in some frightening corners of the internet, which is why King needed to talk to him. He isn’t sure Romney will be safe.”
Romney then passed the message to McConnell in a text writing: “In case you have not heard this, I just got a call from Angus King, who said that he had spoken with a senior official at the Pentagon who reports that they are seeing very disturbing social media traffic regarding the protests planned on the 6th. There are calls to burn down your home, Mitch; to smuggle guns into DC, and to storm the Capitol. I hope that sufficient security plans are in place, but I am concerned that the instigator—the President—is the one who commands the reinforcements the DC and Capitol police might require.”
Romney never got a response from McConnell.
Trump supporters stormed the Capitol four days later to try and stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory. Security camera footage from Jan. 6 shows how close Romney came to the mob rioters that day before he was directed away by U.S. Capitol Police office Eugene Goodman.
Romney later joined six Senate Republicans every Senate Democrat in a vote to convict Donald Trump on charges related to the riot.
The biography comes as Romney announced he will not be seeking re-election to the senate when his term ends in 2024.
“I have spent my last 25 years in public service of one kind or another. At the end of another term, I’d be in my mid-eighties,” Romney said. “Frankly, it’s time for a new generation of leaders. They’re the ones that need to make the decisions that will shape the world they will be living in.”
