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Trump Banned From Facebook After Violent Mob of Supporters Storm U.S. Capitol: CNBC After Hours

CNBC.com's MacKenzie Sigalos brings you the day's top business news headlines. On today's show, CNBC Washington Correspondent Eamon Javers breaks down how the violent events in the U.S. Capitol unfolded yesterday. Plus, Joanna Stern from the Wall Street Journal explains the significance of Trump's suspension from Facebook and Twitter.

Federal prosecutor doesn't rule out charging Trump for inciting Capitol riot

The top federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., on Thursday pointedly did not rule out charging President Donald Trump in connection with inciting a riot after his supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol complex a day earlier.

Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin said the Department of Justice will consider lodging criminal charges against anyone who played a role in the riot, which for hours delayed the confirmation by Congress of Joe Biden's election as the next president.

A reporter during a press call noted that Trump had called on his supporters at a rally before the riot to fight for him.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is first Trump Cabinet member to quit after riot

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao resigned Thursday because of the mob attack on the Capitol fueled by President Donald Trump's rhetoric, saying the riot had "deeply troubled" her.

Chao is the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and is the first Trump Cabinet member to quit in connection with Wednesday's chaos.

Her departure came after several other resignations by Trump administration officials on the heels of the riot, among them top economic and national security advisors.

Trump got a free pass from Twitter and Facebook, and the result was a storming of the Capitol

It was the last straw.

Following the takeover of the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, Twitter and Facebook pulled the plug on President Donald Trump's accounts, suspending him from posting based on the fear that his messages would incite even more violence than we already saw in the halls of Congress.

But Wednesday was hardly the first time Trump had violated policies on social media that would get a normal person banned. Wednesday's events were an inevitable conclusion thanks to the conspiracy-laden chatter in the darker corners of the internet that social media companies allowed to freely spread.

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