Speaker Benny Thompson, D-Miss., and Vice Speaker Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., lead a hearing of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol at the Capitol in Washington on July 12. Doug Mills/Associated Press
A congressional committee hearing Tuesday on the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump included a detailed account of Trump’s actions to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Here are the main takeaways from the US House Select Committee hearing on January 6:
The January 6 committee accused Trump of inciting extremists to attack the Capitol
Consensus as of mid-December: Biden beat Trump
By mid-December, after the Electoral College count showed Democrat Joe Biden beating Republican Trump, top Trump officials believed he should concede the election and end his presidency, they testified.
On December 14, the Electoral College announced that Biden had won the election with 306-232 electoral votes.
In a video, Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump was shown testifying: “I think that was my feeling, probably before.”
Others provided the same assessment: former Attorney General William Barr and former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, who also testified that then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows believed the same.
High volume December 18, 2020 meeting
The committee detailed a “surprise visit” to the White House on the night of Dec. 18 that lasted more than six hours.
He brought together Trump’s outside advisers, ranging from personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to Trump’s disgraced former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell, a former federal prosecutor who fought to overturn the election on false allegations of voter fraud.
They introduced a draft of an “executive order” calling on the US military to confiscate voting machines in the states. White House counsel Cipollone testified that he thought it was a “terrible idea.”
What followed was several hours of screaming and insults that ranged from the Oval Office to Trump’s private quarters, attendees testified.
“This was not a chance meeting. At times there were people yelling at each other and hurling insults at each other,” said Derek Lyons, a former White House press secretary.
Giuliani said he accused White House officials of not standing up for Trump’s interests.
“You guys aren’t strong enough. Or maybe I’ll put it another way. You are a bunch of dicks, excuse the expression. I’m pretty sure the word was used,” he said.
At one point, Trump offered to give Powell a job as a special adviser with a security clearance, participants testified.
It was past midnight when the meeting ended, witnesses said. Giuliani was escorted off the White House grounds to make sure he didn’t go back, U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin said at Tuesday’s hearing, citing other testimony.
Trump’s tweet inspires action
Shortly after the late-night meeting, early on December 19, Trump tweeted urging supporters to gather in Washington on January 6 for what he promised would be a “wild” gathering.
The committee provided evidence that this tweet energized militant groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers to gather in arms in Washington.
The committee showed an online broadcast of a right-wing personality calling for a “red wedding” on Jan. 6, code language for mass slaughter, Raskin said.
The committee showed social media posts in which Trump supporters advised people to bring bulletproof vests, shields and pepper spray to the Capitol on Jan. 6. Many contained racist or violent messages. One said the protesters should “kill all the Democrats.”
The committee said it found that Trump spoke twice on Jan. 5, 2021, with former senior adviser Steve Bannon, who was shown on video saying, “All hell will break loose tomorrow,” as he mentioned “a point of attack’, which would be ‘quite extraordinarily different’.
Foreknowledge Trump would call to march on the Capitol
The committee provided evidence that Trump supporters and officials knew in advance that the president would call on them to march on the Capitol on January 6.
“Trump should order us to the Capitol at the end of his speech,” Ali Alexander, an organizer of the White House rally, wrote in a Jan. 5 text message.
A draft of Trump’s Twitter message, which was never sent, referred to the upcoming speech. “Please arrive early, large crowds are expected. March to the Capitol afterwards. Stop the theft!” It was stamped “The President has seen”.
Following Trump’s orders
Stephen Ayres, a participant in the Jan. 6 riot, testified that Trump’s speech prompted him to head to the Capitol.
“Basically, the president pissed everyone off, told everyone to get off. So we’re just going with what he said,” Ayres said.
Ayres said he left the stage after Trump asked his supporters on Twitter to stop the riot.
He said he has since lost his job after his employer found out about his involvement and had to sell his home.
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