McCarthy pleaded with Trump to call off the insurrection in explosive phone call: 'Who the f--- do you think you are talking to?'

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McCarthy pleaded with Trump to call off the insurrection in explosive phone call: 'Who the f--- do you think you are talking to?'
Trump's Save America PAC released a photo showing the former president meeting House minority leader Kevin McCarthy on January 28.Save America PAC
  • CNN has reported that Trump and McCarthy spoke on the phone as a violent mob stormed the Capitol.
  • The call erupted into a shouting match, as McCarthy pleaded for Trump to call the mob off.
  • According to CNN, Trump refused as McCarthy described rioters breaking into his office's windows.
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According to a new report from CNN, former President Donald Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had a testy phone call on January 6 as rioters overtook the Capitol.

During the call, McCarthy pleaded for Trump to call off the mob, describing to him that rioters were breaking through his office's windows. According to CNN, McCarthy told Trump that his supporters were leading the charge.

"Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are," Trump said, according to lawmakers who told CNN that they were briefed on the call by McCarthy.

McCarthy reportedly snapped at the former president and told Trump, "Who the f--- do you think you are talking to?" according to a Republican lawmaker who spoke with CNN.

CNN cited conversations with several Republican lawmakers who were briefed on the call, including GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler.

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Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler issued a statement on Friday night confirming that McCarthy briefed her on the call.

At the end of her statement, Beutler said, "To the patriots who were standing next to the former president as these conversations were happening, or even to the former vice president: if you have something to add here, now would be the time."

McCarthy was one of the GOP House members who voted to reject certification of Arizona's election results, an objection that failed.

On January 13, McCarthy spoke on the House floor and said that Trump "bears responsibility," for the attack on the Capitol. McCarthy visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago in late January, where they discussed plans for the GOP to regain control of the House in 2022.

Insider reached out to McCarthy's office and to former president Trump for comment.

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