McConnell said the deadly riot was the product of "increasingly wild myths" and "an intensifying crescendo of conspiracy theories orchestrated by an outgoing president who seemed determined to either overturn the voters' decision, or else torch our institutions on the way out."
But despite all the criticism, he said he voted "not guilty" because he believes Trump is "constitutionally not eligible for conviction" given that he is no longer president.
The riot occurred on Jan. 6. The House impeached Trump on Jan. 13, while he was still president. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the House was ready to send the article to the upper chamber on Jan. 15 but couldn't because the Senate was out of session. At the time, McConnell opposed returning sooner,
arguing that a fair trial could not be conducted and concluded in the short time Trump had left in office.
"It is so pathetic that Senator McConnell kept the Senate shut down so that the Senate could not receive the Article of Impeachment and has used that as his excuse for not voting to convict Donald Trump," Pelosi said in a statement Saturday.