U.S. First Lady Melania Trump on Monday condemned last week’s violent breach of Capitol Hill by supporters of her husband, President Donald Trump.
In a statement released by the White House, she said she was “disappointed and disheartened” by the incident which drew global outrage.
Calling for national healing, the president’s wife urged Americans to “take a moment, pause, and look at things from all perspectives”.
“Make no mistake about it, I absolutely condemn the violence that has occurred on our nation’s Capitol. Violence is never acceptable,”
“I implore people to stop the violence, never make assumptions based on the colour of a person’s skin or use differing political ideologies as a basis for aggression and viciousness,” she said.
Melania dismissed “false and misleading accusations” against her from some unidentified people, who she said were seeking to be relevant.
“This time is solely about healing our country and its citizens. It should not be used for personal gain,” she said.
She thanked millions of Americans who supported the Trump presidency over the past four years, saying it was the honour of her lifetime to serve the country as First Lady.
Vice President Mike Pence was presiding over a joint session of Congress to certify the Nov. 3 presidential elections when armed Trump supporters stormed the building, forcing a shutdown.
Five persons died in the incident for which the president is facing another threat of impeachment from the House of Representatives for allegedly inciting it.
The outgoing First Lady said she was saddened by the deaths, and expressed her condolences to the families of the victims.
