The panel heard on the second day of public hearings how the former president’s closest campaign aides, senior government officials, and even his family attempted to debunk some of his strange voting fraud accusations.
Donald Trump has referred to the investigation into the Capitol rioting as “pitiful” and a “kangaroo court” as it continues to investigate his role in the incident.
A House select committee examining the assault on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 was informed that the former US president became “separated from reality” during the 2020 election and clung to ludicrous notions to maintain power.
The tribunal was also informed that he sought counsel from a “certainly inebriated” Rudy Giuliani.
Mr. Trump blasted the inquiry in a 12-page reply posted by his Save America PAC, comparing it to a “kangaroo court” designed to distract the American people before the midterm elections in November.
Intimating that he may return for the 2024 presidential elections, he stated that the investigation was “merely an attempt to prevent a man who is leading in every poll, against both Republicans and Democrats, from standing for president again.”
“The Democrats are doing everything in their ability to prevent me from correcting all of this, but we cannot be stopped,” he continued. “We must rescue America.”
Then, Mr. Trump blamed the Democrats for inflation and high gas costs.
“Our nation is in HURT. Our economic situation is dire. Inflation is epidemic. The price of gasoline has reached an all-time high. Ships are unable to offload cargo. Families lack access to infant formula. We are an international embarrassment.”
In addition, he claimed the Democrats are preoccupied with the events of January 6 and “unable to propose solutions” to the country’s problems.
“Democrats are desperate to change the narrative of a failing society without mentioning the destruction and loss of life perpetrated by the Radical Left just months before,” he stated.
“There is no doubt that they dominate the government. They are responsible for this catastrophe. They hope that these hearings may modify their dismal outlook in some way.”
The majority of the 12-page essay was devoted to his baseless assertions that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged and stolen.”
“Politicians from both parties, but primarily Democrats, collaborated with corporate elitists to deny Americans the opportunity to elect their leaders,” he stated.
The select committee of the House of Representatives has been investigating how and why the riots on January 6, 2012, occurred.
The panel heard on the second day of public hearings how the former president’s closest campaign aides, senior government officials, and even his family attempted to debunk his bogus claims of voter fraud on election night.
Mr. Trump’s assertions fueled his unsuccessful attempts to overturn the election and incited his supporters to storm the US Capitol.
Monday, former Justice Department employee Richard Donoghue testified before the committee and recounted breaking down one claim after another and warning Mr. Trump that “most of the information” he was receiving was “fake.”
Among the allegations were the discovery of a truckload of ballots in Pennsylvania, the discovery of a “suspicious black suitcase” containing fake ballots that turned out to be a local election lock box and the swapping of computer chips in voting machines that automatically awarded Mr. Trump’s votes to Mr. Biden.
Trump’s advisors and advisers deemed all of them without merit.
Former attorney general William Barr, who also testified before the committee, stated, “He had become disconnected from reality.”
Trump-backed Giuliani, who was “clearly inebriated.”
Instead of listening to his counsel, Mr. Trump allegedly sided with a “certainly drunk” Mr. Giuliani to create a movement that ended in the 6 January attack, according to his advisers.
Mr. Giuliani, a former United States attorney and mayor of New York City, is among Mr. Trump’s supporters and has repeatedly asserted that the election was stolen.
The committee played previously recorded testimony by Mr. Trump’s 2020 campaign manager, Bill Stepien after he was forced to leave the hearing due to his wife giving birth.
In the footage, he describes how the mood at the White House swiftly changed after Fox News reported that Mr. Trump had lost Arizona to Mr. Biden on election night.
He told the committee that he and other advisers considered themselves “Team Normal” as they attempted to pull Mr. Trump away from Mr. Giuliani’s bogus fraud charges.
Mr. Trump ignored the advice of his advisors and instead listened to Mr. Giuliani, who advised him to declare victory.
In his recorded testimony, Mr. Stepien stated, “My belief, my recommendation, was that since ballots were still being counted, it was too early to know, too early to call the contest.”
Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, also attempted to dissuade him from listening to Mr. Giuliani, but Mr. Trump responded that he had faith in the attorney.
He deliberately misleads his donors.
The committee also heard that Mr. Trump’s fundraising pleas based on the claim of voter fraud raised $250 million (£200 million) after the election.
According to legal experts, these fundraising operations may have been fraudulent.
Representative Zoe Lofgren of the Democratic Party stated, “It is evident that he willfully mislead his donors, encouraged them to donate to a nonexistent fund, and utilized the funds for something other than what he claimed.
Now it is up to someone else to determine whether or not it is criminal.
As part of its probe, the committee has interviewed 1,000 witnesses and compiled 140,000 documents.
Legislators intend to demonstrate that Mr. Trump’s attempt to reverse Mr. Biden’s electoral triumph posed a major threat to democracy.
Some members claim they have unearthed sufficient evidence for the Justice Department to consider a novel criminal charge against the former president.
