- Hours after the January 6 riot, Mitch McConnell vowed to take down far-right candidates in 2022.
- "We crushed the sons of bitches," he said, "and that's what we're going to do in the primary in '22."
- The comments come in a forthcoming book by NYT reporters Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin.
In the hours after the January 6 Capitol riot, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ripped into President Donald Trump and vowed to take down far-right candidates who ran in the 2022 midterms, according to a forthcoming book by New York Times reporters Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin.
As the Kentucky Republican was preparing to leave the Capitol in the early morning of January 7, 2021, he pulled Martin aside and spoke briefly about his intentions to quash Trump's influence within the GOP.
"He put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger," McConnell said of Trump's role on January 6. "Couldn't have happened at a better time."
McConnell then referenced the 2014 midterms and his party's success in pushing back on extremist far-right candidates and winning back the Senate majority.
"We crushed the sons of bitches," McConnell said, "and that's what we're going to do in the primary in '22."
"I feel exhilarated by the fact that this fellow finally, totally discredited himself," he added, referring to Trump.
The comments were reported on Monday by the Washington Post, which obtained an advance copy of the book, titled "This Will Not Pass." The book, which delves into the 2020 election, January 6, and President Joe Biden's early tenure, comes out next Tuesday.
A spokesperson for McConnell did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.
It does not appear that McConnell's position has changed in the 15 months since the January 6th attack on the Capitol, according to recent remarks from the Kentucky Republican now serving as Senate minority leader. Unlike some Republicans that remain close allies to Trump, McConnell has signaled that he does not view the former president as key to winning back the Senate majority, and he wants to steer clear of extremists.
The Republican leader told Punchbowl News in an interview last month that the party aims to have "electable nominees" in each competitive state this year and to avoid controversial candidates, referring to defeated far-right candidates in recent elections.
"How you feel about former President Trump is irrelevant," he said.
In an interview with Axios earlier this month, McConnell also stressed that it's crucial for GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a moderate who's criticized Trump, to win her reelection bid. Trump has endorsed former Alaska Department of Administration commissioner Kelly Tshibaka to unseat her.
"It's important for Lisa to be reelected. She's one of the few sort of moderates in the middle of the Senate," McConnell said. "We're going to do everything we can to make sure she's successful."
Overall, McConnell has largely avoided speaking about Trump since he left office last year and has rallied Senate Republicans to remain focused on 2022. The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate's campaign arm that has endorsed incumbents like Murkowski, raised $43 million in the first quarter of this year.
"Senate Republicans have the war chest and the enthusiasm to oust radical Senate Democrats in November," NRSC chairman Rick Scott said in a statement this month.