On the eve of his transition from Senate Majority Leader to Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell admits Trump incited a mob to armed insurrection. He didn't use the word "incite" because that would be too obvious, but the meaning was clear.

On the final day of his majority leadership, McConnell opened with this: "The last time the Senate convened, we had just reclaimed the Capitol from violent criminals who tried to stop Congress from doing our duty. The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the President and other powerful people. And they tried to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of the first branch of the federal government which they did not like."

This comes after McConnell has said he wants to "purge" Trump from the party, but won't decide on conviction and removal until after he's heard all the evidence.

Still, the word "provoke" isn't that different from "incite." It seems like a signal to me.