Trump refused to back down even after riot at the Capitol
Former president may face ‘criminal case’, as key ally, Steve Bannon, is convicted of contempt of Congress
DONALD TRUMP refused to concede that the US election was over after his supporters violently stormed the Capitol, angry outtakes of the former president’s taped remarks revealed.
The then US president was pressured into recording a video message a day after the Jan 6 attack on Congress in Washington last year amid mutinous threats from members of his cabinet.
But even as he went before the camera to calm a fractious nation, previously unseen footage showed Mr Trump refusing to concede the 2020 presidential election was over and Joe Biden had won. “I can’t say that ... I don’t want to say the election’s over.
“I just want to say Congress has certified the results without saying the election’s over,” he said in the outtakes of his recorded message.
It was just one in several shocking moments in a prime-time TV hearing by the Congressional committee investigating the riot, which was broadcasted to millions on Thursday night.
It came as Steve Bannon, a key asso- ciate of Mr Trump was convicted of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the committee investigating the Capitol attack.
A jury found Mr Bannon, 68, guilty of two misdemeanour counts for refusing to provide testimony or documents to the House of Representatives select committee.
Each contempt of Congress count is punishable by 30 days to one year behind bars, as well as a fine of $100 £83) to $100,000. The verdict delivered by a jury of eight men and four women after less than three hours of deliberation, marked the first successful prosecution for contempt of Congress since 1974, when a judge convicted G Gordon Liddy, a conspirator in the Watergate scandal that prompted Richard Nixon’s resignation from the White House.
The eighth public hearing by the bipartisan committee focused on Mr Trump’s refusal to act in the 187 minutes while his supporters stormed Capitol Hill, leaving elected officials fearful for their safety.
After presenting its evidence, Adam Kinzinger, a committee member, said the investigation had “proven different components of a criminal case against Donald Trump”.
The decision to bring criminal charges lies with Merrick Garland, the US attorney general, who has stated that “no one is above the law”.
However, it is unclear whether he is willing to take the step of charging a former president with a crime.
Thursday night’s hearing revealed that Mr Trump spent hours on Jan 6 in the White House dining room watching the violence on Fox News while his daughter, Ivanka, and senior aides urged him to publicly condemn the riot.
While Mr Trump watched the riot on TV, Mike Pence, his vice-president, was being escorted from the Senate floor.
It emerged that, as the violence escalated, some of Mr Pence’s security detail began to fear for their lives.
“There were calls to say goodbye to family members,” one official, who was not identified to prevent reprisals, told the committee.
There was a moment of levity when footage showed Josh Hawley, a Republican senator who infamously raised a fist in support of the rioters, later fled from the same crowd.
As members of Congress sought shelter from the mob, some pleaded with Mr Trump and his aides for hours to tell his supporters to end the carnage but to no avail, according to witness testimony.
Instead, one former aide accused Mr Trump of “pouring gasoline on the fire” by repeating his false claims of a stolen election in his tweets.
They included attacking Mr Pence for failing to “have the courage” to heed Trump’s unconstitutional demand that he reject the election results.
Finally, at 4.17pm, Mr Trump tweeted out a video from the White House Rose Garden urging the rioters to “go home”. Even then, however, he cast his supporters as victims and repeated his unsubstantiated election fraud claims.
“We had an election that was stolen from us ... but you have to go home now,” he said.
Two witnesses, Matthew Pottinger, Mr Trump’s former deputy national security adviser, and Sarah Matthews, the deputy press secretary, told the committee that the tweets led them to resign in disgust.
The following day, Jan 7, Mr Trump recorded another message intended to reassure Americans that he would commit to an orderly transfer of power.
Edited-out footage from the video, that was broadcast by the Jan 6 committee, revealed Mr Trump’s frustration as he navigated his prepared script.
At points, Mr Trump clenched his teeth and slammed his fist on the lectern as he recorded the message.
Ivanka could be heard off-camera coaching her father through the script and suggesting edits to sections he did not like.
Jason Miller, a senior Trump campaign aide, said the president wanted to say that a “peaceful transition” of power would now take place. “That ship’s kind of already sailed, so we’re going to say ‘orderly transition’,” Mr Miller said he told him in video testimony.
The blockbuster hearing had been intended to conclude the committee’s findings, but the panel announced it would continue with more broadcasts in September owing to the additional evidence it has received.
Mr Trump has denounced the committee as a “kangaroo court” and asked why it was not examining evidence that challenged Mr Biden’s election win.