Rep. Stephanie Murphy setting up how everything after Dec. 14--after Electoral College was decided, after multiple courts rejected Trump's challenges--Trump et al persisted in attacking election results. She shows video of Mitch McConnell congratulating President-elect on 12/15.
In depo testimony, Eugene Scalia, who was Trump's Labor Secretary, recounts how he told Trump he should concede.
Cipollone agreed there was no evidence of fraud sufficient to overturn election. We see Cipollone for the first time in his under videotaped testimony right now. #January6thCommitteeHearings
People around Trump all agreed 12/14 was the date after which Trump's claim was bogus. Including Bill Barr.
Cipollone told Committee that Meadows told him that Trump would gracefully concede at some point. "It wasn't a one-time statement," says Cipollone. #January6thCommitteeHearings
Kayleigh McEnany told committee she began to "plan for life after the administration" after that point.
Judd Deere told committee that he told Trump that Electoral College had met "and I believed at that point that the means for him to pursue litigation was probably closed.... He disagreed."
Cipollone agreed with Barr that the stolen election / election fraud claims were baseless.
Barr rebuffed Trump on seizing voting machines.
But then, 12/18 -- the infamous meeting with Sidney Powell.
But then, 12/18 -- the infamous meeting with Sidney Powell.
A draft executive order would have ordered DoD to seize voting machines, and Trump would appoint a special counsel--Sidney Powell-- with power to seize machine, and charge people with crimes.
Cipollone: "I was vehemently opposed. I didn't think she should be appointed to anything."
Cipollone, on the plan to seize voting machines: "that's not how we do things in the United States."
Raskin points out that Meadows thought Trump should concede around 12/14 but then worked to promote the false claims of voter fraud. Hutchinson said Meadows then began to explore claims connected to John Eastman's theories.
The 12/18 meeting lasted six hours! Six participants and other staffers who could hear the screaming talked to the Committee.
"the Overstock person"
Drinking a can of Dr. Pepper, Powell told the Committee that Trump was very receptive to her conspiracy theories.
Mike Flynn pled the Fifth when asked by the Committee about Powell feeding Trump conspiracy theories about voting machines and Venezuela, Iran, and China.
Herschmann: "the screaming was completely, completely out there... what they were proposing was nuts"
Giuliani told Committee he told them they were a bunch of "pussies" (this was before a tap on the back nearly knocked him over on Staten Island)
During the meeting, Hutchinson texted Ornato, telling him the West Wing was "unhinged"
"At 1:42 a.m.... shortly after the last participants left the unhinged meeting... Trump repeated his Big Lie... before calling for a 'big protest in D.C.... be there, will be wild. Trump supporters responded immediately," says Raskin.
The next day, Ali Alexander registered wildprotest.com, including details on rally times, transportation, etc.
Then others like Alex Jones started promoting it. "President Trump... wants the American people to march on Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6"
Then others like Alex Jones started promoting it. "President Trump... wants the American people to march on Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6"
Wow, this compilation of far-right media personalities amping up people coming to come to Jan. 6 armed and violent is absolutely chilling.
My God, Twitter contemplated greater content moderation after Trump's Sept 2020 "stand back and stand by" comment to the Proud Boys during the presidential, but didn't do it.
A former employee told the Committee that Twitter actually relished being Trump's favorite social media platform.
Any other user would have been kept off the platform well before Trump was kicked off, says the employee.
Any other user would have been kept off the platform well before Trump was kicked off, says the employee.
This was esp clear after Trump's 12/19 tweet. A lot of violent tweets were in response to Trump's tweet. Responses like "I'm locked and loaded and ready for civil war." Trump's tweet was "essentially staking a flag in DC " said employee, who was concerned it would become violent.
Founder of thedonald dot win told Committee that the 12/19 Trump tweet galvanized users of his racist site to come to DC on Jan. 6. On the site, users shared plans and violent threats, specifying weaponry they would use, and encouraging people to join Proud Boys.
Trump continued to rile up his followers in tweets in the period between 12/19 and 1/6.
That's Eric Metals standing behind Stewart Rhodes in the clip Raskin is playing of Rhodes calling for martial law. It's from the Jericho March on the Mall 12/12/20.
(Stone and Flynn and Ali Alexander were there too--people who Raskin is outlining were working together for Jan. 6)
Eric Metaxas, not Metals.
Committee now playing clips of Bannon's podcast from 1/5. Before and after the podcast, Bannon had spoken on the phone with Trump.
Based on testimony from several WH staffers, on 1/5, music and crowd were audible from Freedom Plaza at the WH, and Trump was, in the words of Sarah Matthews, "in a very good mood." Now committee plays clips of what was happening at that rally.
Stone cast it as a battle between good and evil; Flynn "this is soil we have fought for."
Ali Alexander: "1776 is always an option. These degenerates in the deep state are going to give us what we want or we are going to shut it down"
Trump tweeted on 1/5: "we hear you and love you from the Oval Office"
More on Twitter doing nothing: the former employee said they sent a Slack message, "when people are shooting each other tomorrow, I will try to rest in the knowledge that I tried" to make Twitter do something before 1/6.
The former Twitter employee had begged for an intervention, lest "people are going to die." On 1/5 they realized no intervention was coming from Twitter.
Even Debbie Lesko of AZ, who voted against certifying, warned that Trump supporters were "going to go nuts" on Jan. 6 when Congress certified the election.
After talking to Stephen Miller, Trump added a line in his speech about Pence: "we will see whether MikePence enters history as a great and courageous leader"
Speechwriters removed the line about Pence. After that, Pence and Trump talked by phone, with Trump calling Pence a "wimp and other derogatory words," says Murphy. Then speechwriters were instructed to "reinsert the Pence lines."
Put this together with previous testimony from Hutchinson--that Trump knew his crowd was armed and they weren't going to hurt *him*--and he insisted on putting the Pence line back in, and saying it.
Trump then added EIGHT off script references to Pence, says Murphy.
IDK about Parscale's crocodile tears.
Raskin: "American carnage: Donald Trump's true legacy."
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
