Hunt is on for video clips in Capitol inquiry
VIDEO outtakes of Donald Trump could become key as a congressional committee prepares to hold Watergate-style televised hearings into the riot at the US Capitol on Jan 6 last year.
In a letter sent by the committee to Ivanka Trump, asking for her testimony, it was disclosed that numerous so-far unseen videos were filmed of Mr Trump, at the White House, as some of his supporters ransacked the Capitol.
It came as the committee also obtained a copy of a draft executive order under which Mr Trump would have directed the Pentagon to seize voting machines in crucial states in the weeks after the 2020 election.
The draft order, dated Dec 16 2020, would also have appointed a special counsel to bring charges on any fraud allegations that arose from the seizures. Mr Trump never signed the order, but committee members described the fact it was drafted as “very concerning”.
The Jan 6 video footage consists of early takes of a filmed message Mr Trump eventually shared on social media, nearly three hours after the attack on the Capitol began, urging those involved to go home.
Part of the eight-page letter to Ms Trump said: “The Select Committee understands that multiple takes of the video were filmed but not utilised.
“Information in the Select Committee’s possession suggests that the president failed in the initial clips to ask rioters to leave the Capitol.”
Democrats believe the outtakes of Mr Trump not asking the rioters to leave, as the chaos was going on, could prove highly damaging. They would be played during hearings the committee is expected to hold live on primetime TV in the coming months.
The committee said it was seeking copies of the clips from the National Archives, where it believes they are.
White House officials hand over records to the National Archives at the end of an administration.
Last Wednesday, the US Supreme Court rejected Mr Trump’s legal attempt to block a wide-ranging request from the committee for National Archives documents relating to Jan 6.
That request included emails, phone records, presidential diaries, White House visitor logs and, it now transpires, video outtakes.
Mr Trump has condemned the investigation by the specially formed committee in the House of Representatives as a Democrat effort to attack him.
The nine people on the committee consist of seven Democrat members of Congress and two Republicans, who have both been critical of Mr Trump.
A series of ex-aides to Mr Trump have refused to co-operate with it. Steve Bannon, Mr Trump’s former chief strategist, refused and was subsequently criminally charged with contempt of Congress. He has pleaded not guilty.
The committee’s request to interview Ivanka Trump marked an escalation of its inquiry. In last week’s letter the committee said Ms Trump was “present in the Oval Office” and heard at least one end of a key phone call.
On the call her father accused his vice-president Mike Pence of “wimping out” if he did not use his ceremonial role in Congress to reject the results of the election, according to the committee.