The main lesson this Tuesday may be, ultimately, that a far-right militia, the Oath Keepers, which has been leaking for years, marched on the U.S. Capitol believing it was doing so on behalf of the U.S. president. .
It’s hard to see how anyone who pays attention could deny the facts presented: that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and that Donald Trump refused to accept that reality and tried to stay in power.
The people who worked to help Trump were the people who stored weapons and tactical equipment and hung improvised gallows in the Capitol for the then vice president.
This is a suppurating wound that has not healed in the last 18 months.
But the insurrection failed, right?
The positive view of the insurgency has always been that democratic institutions maintained and Trump was unable to turn the will of the Americans upside down through the Electoral College.
The hearings of the select committee of the House show how powerful the extremist groups made the then president feel.
The committee alleged that Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes sent thousands of dollars worth of tactical equipment to a rally organizer.
A different view for the US
A former Oath Keeper spokesman, Jason Van Tatenhove, testified in person before the committee on Tuesday and offered an overview of the group’s vision on Jan. 6.
“It includes violence. It includes trying to make your way through lying, deception, intimidation and the perpetration of violence.”
Van Tatenhove said he worries that if Trump reappears in 2024, the former president will try to “start a civil war between his supporters using lies and deceptions.”
See: Why the former Oath Keepers spokesman broke up with the group. Read: These are some of the leaders of the extremist groups that participated in the insurrection.
The full image is in focus
These are some of the pieces that the House committee has discovered:
- Trump almost convinced his party to reject an election that his own administration knew were valid.
- The far-right militia marched on the Capitol thinking it had the blessing of the then president. Other rioters were deceived by Trump’s lies.
- They needed summonses and months of investigation for the committee to definitively find out what happened. If they hadn’t been breaded, we wouldn’t have a clear idea of the extent of Trump’s involvement.
- Witnesses testifying do so despite online threats and, according to the committee, pressure directly from Trump.
Perhaps these audiences are taking effect
Still, Trump is seriously considering officially starting his White House candidacy in 2024.
Only about half of Republicans would prefer someone different to win Republican primaries in two years, according to a new New York Times / Siena College poll.
But the current conclusion of Trump or any future president may be wrong: not to respect institutions, but to further exploit their weaknesses.
We have identified the weak points. Now what?
“The most important thing is the next step,” Maryland Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin said as he closed Tuesday’s hearing. “What will this committee do, what will we all do to strengthen our democracy against coups, political violence and campaigns to steal elections in the people.”
Important Note: I will also insert here the warning that these hearings are not like a court of law. They don’t present Trump’s face of history, as he and his allies worked hard for months to marginalize the committee.
Back to details
At the seventh public hearing of the committee, we learned the following:
- Trump insisted that the language addressed to Vice President Mike Pence be added to comments he made to supporters on Jan. 6 just before the uprising.
- Trump spoke by phone with former adviser Steve Bannon the day before the uprising and just before Bannon promised the “Stop the Steal” demonstration would be something unexpected.
- There has been a clear shift in the way Trump’s current allies view these audiences, fighting them instead of ignoring or dismissing them, and arguing that Trump was deceived by aides. Deputy Liz Cheney, vice chair of the committee, countered this idea at the beginning of the hearing. “President Trump is a 76-year-old man,” the Wyoming Republican said. “He is not an impressionable child. Like everyone in our country, he is responsible for his own actions and his own choices.”
- A Capitol mutineer who now regrets his actions, Stephen Ayres, offered a witness in person and described hanging on to Trump’s words and losing his home and job as a result of his arrest after the insurrection. He encouraged others to “get the words out before it’s too late.”
Key points
Some of the findings from Tuesday’s hearing from CNN’s Marshall Cohen, Jeremy Herb and Zachary Cohen include:
Trump’s “call to arms” tweet. The panel repeatedly highlighted a December 2020 Trump tweet, which they said was a galvanizing call to arms that motivated his supporters to come to Washington and disrupt the power transition.
The interview with Cipollone plays a key role. (White House Trump attorney Pat) Cipollone’s testimony (clips from a video recording of his statement last week) added a loud voice to the hearts of former Trump aides who have testified before the committee told the president that there was no substantial evidence that the election stole from him. … (Cipollone) could play an even bigger role in next week’s hearing which is expected to focus on what was happening inside the west wing as the Capitol attack took place on 6 January.
Meeting of the ‘Disengaged’ Oval Office. Raskin said the Dec. 18 meeting was “of great importance because President Trump was able to watch closely for several hours how his White House attorney and other White House attorneys destroyed allegations of unfounded facts. and the ridiculous legal arguments offered by Sidney Powell, Mike Flynn and others. “
What else?
More complaints for possible manipulations. Cheney again warned Trump on Tuesday not to try to influence witnesses. He said the committee has informed the Justice Department that after the last hearing, Trump tried to contact a witness whose testimony has not yet been made public. Read more.Oval Office Shock. The development of Tuesday’s bomb was the December clash between White House lawyers and Trump supporters pushing for electoral conspiracies. White House attorneys fought the idea of appointing the conspiracy theorist Powell as special counsel. Flynn, the former national security adviser whom Trump pardoned for lying to the FBI, suggested that Trump invoke martial law. It was unclear whether Trump endorsed the idea. What we know. Moment of reconciliation. Ayres, who regrets his involvement in the insurrection, shook hands with an officer who was defending the Capitol but can no longer serve in uniform due to his injuries. Read more. Trump is tired of that. Read CNN’s report on the vision from Trump’s perspective. “Although he often uses insults, Trump has continued to state that no one is on the podium defending him or his actions on the day of the Capitol uprising. He has suggested that allies, such as Steve Bannon, stand up for do it “. audio. Speaking of Trump’s former adviser, Bannon’s recently released October 31, 2020, audio obtained by Mother Jones illuminates Trump’s plans to claim victory on election night. “What Trump will do is just declare victory. Certainly. He will declare victory. But that doesn’t mean he’s the winner, he’ll just say he’s the winner,” Bannon says, according to the recording, while speaking to a group of ‘associates’.
This story has been updated with additional information.