Tuesday, the House Jan. 6 committee presented evidence that former President Donald Trump incited extremists who supported him prior to Jan. 6. One of Trump’s former supporters who has pleaded guilty to being at the Capitol that day testified that “the president got everyone riled up, told everyone to head down, so we were basically just following what he said.”
Tuesday’s hearing, the seventh and penultimate hearing this summer, commenced with a tweet sent by President Trump at 1:42 a.m. on December 19, 2020, stating, “Large demonstration in Washington, D.C. on January 6th. There will be chaos there!”
Rep. Jamie Raskin, a member of the committee, stated that the post “excited” Trump’s extremist supporters to come to the Capitol on January 6. Raskin stated, “Many in this crowd could be convinced to storm the Capitol, confront the vice president and Congress, and overturn the election results.”
A Twitter employee who testified anonymously in a previous interview stated that after that tweet, “it felt like a mob was forming, and they were gathering their weapons, logic, and justifications for why they were ready to fight.”
Two sources familiar with the committee’s plans on January 6 confirmed to CBS News that the next hearing will be held on Thursday, July 21, during prime time. This hearing is anticipated to center on Trump’s actions during the attack on the Capitol. Rep. Liz Cheney, vice chair of the committee, stated at the conclusion of the hearing that Trump had attempted to contact a witness who had not yet publicly testified.
Tuesday saw the testimony of Jason Van Tatenhove, the former media director for the Oath Keepers, and Stephen Ayres, an Ohio man who pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct related to the Capitol riot. Tatenhove referred to the Oath Keepers as a “militia” and stated, “I believe we caught a glimpse of the Oath Keepers’ vision on January 6.”
Ayres, who described himself as “hard core” on social media, stated, “After hearing Trump’s remarks, I felt compelled to attend the rally.” Ayres told the committee that when he entered the Capitol, he believed the election had been stolen, and that if Trump had not pushed these claims, “I might not have come down here.”
In the hours preceding the Dec. 19 tweet, Trump met with a group of outside allies and advisers, including Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Michael Flynn, and Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne, at the White House on Dec. 18, 2020. Aides and advisors of the White House arrived later and were alarmed by the allies Trump had invited to the White House. Sidney Powell testified, referring to the White House counsel, “I bet Pat Cipollone set a new land speed record” to reach the Oval Office.
“I was not pleased to see the people in the Oval Office,” testified Cipollone, the former White House counsel. I was unfamiliar with the Overstock representative.
Raskin reported that some participants described the meeting as “heated” and “vulgar,” and that it degenerated into “challenges to physically fight.”
Giuliani recalled his own remarks to White House aides in his testimony, stating that he had said, “”You guys aren’t tough enough,” he said. Alternatively, I might say, “you’re a bunch of scumbags.” Pardon my expression. I’m also confident that these words were used.”
The committee displayed a text message from Mark Meadows’ chief of staff, Cassidy Hutchinson’s, aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, which read “the west wing is UNHINGED.”
Additionally, the committee played testimony from a Twitter employee whose voice was disguised to protect their identity. The Twitter employee stated that references to “stand back and stand by,” which Trump told the Proud Boys during the September 2020 debate, increased after Trump’s tweet on December 19th.
“After this tweet on December 19, it became clear that not only were these individuals ready and willing, but the leader of their cause was also asking them to join him in D.C. on January 6 to fight for his cause,” the employee said.
Moreover, the Twitter employee stated that Trump “directly addressed extremist organizations and gave them directives. This was the first time we had witnessed such direct communication, and it alarmed me.”
“I believe Twitter relished the knowledge that they were also the favorite and most used service of the former president and enjoyed having that kind of power within the social media ecosystem,” the former Twitter employee said, adding that if Trump were “any other Twitter user, he would have been permanently suspended a very long time ago.”
