The Department of Justice has been informed of a phone conversation that Donald Trump may have made with a witness in an effort to sway testimony, according to the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol.
Rep. Liz Cheney, vice chair of the committee, startled onlookers at the close of the three-hour public hearing on Tuesday by saying she had “one more item” to give before leaving.
Cheney claimed that after the explosive hearing on June 28 in which Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, testified that the former president was aware that the crowd on January 6 was armed and dangerous and became enraged when his security agents wouldn’t let him speak to them, the former president attempted to call an unnamed witness,
Despite not mentioning this witness by name, Cheney claimed that they had not yet testified in the open sessions.
Cheney stated that the person “refused to answer or reply to President Trump’s call, and instead informed their lawyer of the contact.” “We were made aware by their attorney, and this committee has informed the Department of Justice of that information.”Cheney continued, “Let me tell it again: We will take any attempts to sway witness evidence very seriously.
The Trump call was just one of the many shocking revelations from the hearing on Tuesday. Others included previously undisclosed texts from the evening of the assault on January 6 between Brad Parscale, who oversaw the 2016 Trump campaign’s digital operation and briefly served as the 2020 campaign director, and Katrina Pierson, a Trump spokesperson who assisted in planning the initial rally at the Ellipse in Washington, DC, that day.
Trump is attempting to sow confusion in our nation, according to Parscale. “An incumbent president calling for civil war”
Before blaming Trump for the passing of supporter Ashli Babbitt that day in the Capitol, Parscale said, “I feel bad for having helped him win.
Pierson answered, “It wasn’t the rhetoric.
Parscale responded with “Katrina.” It was, indeed.
The committee also discovered that Trump’s words during his speech at the Ellipse about joining supporters as they marched to the Capitol were not spontaneous, but rather had been prepared ahead of time and that the president’s far-right sympathizers and violent associates were aware of this.
According to documents released from the National Archives, Trump personally evaluated a draft tweet that said: “I will be delivering a Big Speech at the Ellipse at 10 AM on January 6th” (South of the White House). Please arrive early; large numbers are anticipated. After that, march to the Capitol. Stop stealing!
The prospect of violence had frightened Twitter personnel, according to a former worker who testified anonymously about their attempts to inform the leadership of the threat
The committee has learned that, on January 5th, there were serious concerns at Twitter about anticipated violence the next day.
"I had been begging… and attempting to raise the reality that… if we made no intervention into what I saw occurring, people were going to die." pic.twitter.com/wjAxwra6XQ
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) July 12, 2022
Even Trump supporters were worried about a possible riot before January 6.
The committee played audio from Rep. Debbie Lesko, a Republican from Arizona who opposed recognizing Trump’s defeat to Joe Biden, in which she stated concerns that angry supporters of Trump may retaliate violently if Congress failed to prevent Biden’s triumph.
I’m honestly quite worried about this, Lesko added, adding that some Trump fans actually think we’re going to rig the results. And they’re going to lose their minds if it doesn’t happen, which is probably not going to happen
There were also serious concerns on Jan 5th among Members of Congress.
Rep. Debbie Lesko, who led objections to the election: "[We have] Trump supporters, who actually believe that we are going to overturn the election. And when that doesn't happen… they are going to go nuts" pic.twitter.com/yjstEVSINk
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) July 12, 2022
The committee also examined a tumultuous discussion that lasted for hours at the White House during which opposing members of the president’s team discussed whether the latter should ask the military to confiscate voting equipment, among other drastic and unlawful measures.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, said, “The meeting has been dubbed insane, not normal, and the weirdest meeting of the Trump presidency.”
Former White House staff secretary Derek Lyons said on camera that “there were people shouting at each other, hurling insults at each other” at times. “It wasn’t simply folks chilling out on a couch,” one person said.
On Dec 18, 2020, Sidney Powell, Lt. Gen. Flynn, and others entered the White House for a meeting.
The meeting lasted multiple hours and included two groups of Trump advisers trading insults, accusations of disloyalty to the president, and even challenges to physically fight. pic.twitter.com/azqHAENbmB
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) July 12, 2022
Following that meeting, Trump tweeted an offer for his supporters to visit Washington, DC, on January 6. His fans in the far-right media were enthused by the invitation.
Trump’s “Be there, will be wild!” call reverberated online across almost every social media platform. Trump’s key supporters, including far-right media personalities, saw it as a call to action. pic.twitter.com/k8Ao8PZJWm
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) July 12, 2022
