Former President Donald Trump addressed the Capitol riots hearing for the first time in public, slamming it as “crazy” and “a theatrical performance of partisan political fiction” in a typically belligerent speech.
The former president described the congressional session as “a one-way street,” a “disgrace,” and a “rigged deal” while saying that a fellow Republican has a “mental condition.”
Mr. Trump depicted the riots on January 6, 2021, in which five people were killed, as “a simple demonstration” that “went out of control” at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference on Friday in Nashville.
And he characterized the congressional investigation as “a waste of everyone’s time.”
Thousands of Trump supporters marched to the U.S. Capitol building on the morning of 6 January, motivated by an explosive speech he had just made outside the White House in which he repeated accusations he was denied a second term due to voter fraud.
The Capitol was in session at the time, supervising the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential election victory by Congress.
A big group overcame barriers at the building’s pedestrian entrances. After a mob destroyed windows and forced open doors, many individuals also entered the Capitol building.
Currently, a House committee is probing the events of that day.
However, Mr. Trump addressed Tennessee supporters: “Let’s be lucid. This terrible scenario, which is wasting everyone’s time, is not a congressional probe.
“This theatrical play of partisan political fiction is receiving abysmal ratings, and the audience is going insane. They are going insane.
“The committee is cutting up the testimony of witnesses who defended me for eight hours and condensing it into soundbites to make it sound as if what they said was dreadful.”
He went on: “Remember that it’s also about the folks who wanted to testify but weren’t allowed to. Numerous individuals desired to speak about what they observed and how corrupt it was.
“In the meantime, the committee refuses to play any of the tapes of people saying positive things, which we desire to hear. It is one-way only. It’s a sham agreement. It is a shame.”
Mr. Trump told the crowd in response to changes made in the hearing that he had branded his then-vice president Mike Pence a “wimp” for not obeying his wishes and stopping the rubber-stamping of Mr. Biden’s victory: “Never have I called Mike Pence a coward. I never labeled him as a coward.
“Mike Pence had the opportunity to be great and, frankly, to make history. But Mike, and I say this with regret because I admire him, Mike lacked the confidence to act.”
The former president had harsh words for fellow Republican Adam Kinzinger, who stated that Trump “fanned the flames” of the uprising.
The congressman’s opening remarks at the hearing were emotional.
Trump said: “Adam Kinzinger, the crier. Every time he talks, he weeps. This individual has a mental ailment. Every time this individual begins to speak, he begins to cry. I stated that something is amiss with that individual.”
According to reports, Putin is actively evaluating the possibility of a third presidential bid.
