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| Photo Credit: AP. |
The House Select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection at Congress aired a video which appears to show former U.S. President Donald Trump saying, “I don’t want to say the election is over” the day after the violent siege by his supporters.
The
committee showed outtakes from a speech that Trump recorded on January 7 2021
in which he resisted the idea of saying that the election is over.
Trump poured “gasoline on the fire”
As the
Capitol riot went on, Mr Trump poured “gasoline on the fire” by tweeting
condemnation of Mike Pence’s refusal to go along with his plan to stop the
certification of Joe Biden’s victory, according to testimonies from former
aides at the January 6 panel Thursday night, The Associated Press reports.
Trump demanded to join rioters at Capitol Hill
Trump who
earlier demanded to join his violent supporters at the Capitol later returned
to the White House after he was told by Secret Service agents he could not be
taken there. At the White House, the former president refused to do anything to
call off the violence, despite appeals from family and close advisers, The
Associated Press quoted testimonies from witnesses.
Mob chanted “Hang
Mike Pence” after Trump’s tweet
The mob
chanted “Hang Mike Pence,” after Trump tweeted his condemnation of his vice
president, Matt Pottinger, then deputy national security for Trump testified.
Recordings
of Secret Service radio transmission revealed agents asking for messages to be
relayed telling their families goodbye.
Pottinger said
he resigned after Trump’s tweet which he described as “pouring gasoline on the
fire” as well as former White House aide Sarah Matthews who described herself
as a lifelong Republican but could not go along with what was going on,
according to The Associated Press.
Mr Trump
watched the riot as it unfolded on Television at the White House but failed to
stop the violence.
Trump knew some of his irate supporters were armed
The panel
also demonstrated how Trump who knew that some of his irate supporters were
armed but refused to take action, fought earnestly with his allies and
supporters to reverse his election defeat.
Committee
member Elaine Luria, a Virginia Democrat said Trump had dispatched the crowd to
Capitol Hill in heated rally remarks at the Ellipse behind the White House, and
“within 15 minutes of leaving the stage, President Trump knew that the Capitol
was besieged and under attack,” according to The Associated Press.
Luria also
said the panel received testimony confirming the account of former White House
aide Cassidy Hutchinson of an altercation involving Trump as he insisted the
Secret Service take him to the Capitol.
A retired
District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department Sgt. Mark Robinson told the
panel that Trump was well aware of the number of weapons in the crowd of his
supporters but wanted to go regardless, The Associated Press reported.
“The only
description that I received was that the president was upset, and that he was
adamant about going to the Capitol and that there was a heated discussion about
that,” Robinson said. The panel heard Trump was “irate.”
Rep. Luria
said Trump “did not call to issue orders. He did not call to offer assistance.”
According to
The Associated Press, Chairman Bennie Thompson opened Thursday’s hearing saying
Trump as president did “everything in his power to overturn the election” following
his defeat by Joe Biden, including before and during the deadly attack at the
Capitol.
“He lied, he bullied, he betrayed his oath,” charged Thompson, D-Miss.
Trump watched Capitol Hill riots on TV and did nothing
The
committee released a video of four former White House aides – press secretary
Kayleigh McEnamy, security aide Gen. Keith Kellogg, White House Counsel Pat
Cipollone and executive assistant to the president Molly Michael – testifying
that Trump was in the private dinning room with the TV on as the violence unfolded,
The Associated Press reported.
“Everyone
was watching television,” Kellogg said.
The panel’s
vice chair, Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming said the events of
January 6 will be outlined “minute by minute,” according to The Associated
Press.
“You will
hear that Donald Trump never picked up the phone that day to order his administration
to help,” Cheney said.
“He did not
call the military. His Secretary of Defense received no order. He did not call
his Attorney General. He did not talk to the Department of Homeland Security,”
Cheney said. “Mike Pence did all of those things; Donald Trump did not.”
Five people died during riot as Trump refused to call in law enforcement
Five people
were killed as Trump supporters relentlessly pushed their way into the Capitol.
One officer has testified about how she was “slipping in other people’s blood”
as they fought the crowd.
“The
president didn’t do very much but gleefully watch television during this time
frame,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger said.
Despite
pleas from several Trump aides and allies as well as daughter Ivanka Trump and
Fox News host Sean Hannity, the former President refused to act, The Associated
Press quoted previous testimony and text messages the panel has obtained.
“You will hear that leaders on Capitol Hill
begged the president for help,” Cheney has said, including House Republican
leader Kevin McCarthy, who she said indicated he was “‘scared’ and called
multiple members of President Trump’s family after he could not persuade the
President himself.”