‘If Trump Is Losing … He’s Going to Stay They Stole It,” Steve Bannon Said Before Election: Audio

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.) said at the top of the Jan. 6 committee’s final public hearing that former President Trump had a “premeditated” plan to contest the election results, before he even lost. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) expounded on those plans, plans of which former Trump adviser Steve Bannon seemed to be keenly aware.

“What Trump’s gonna do, is he’s going to declare victory,” Bannon told a group of associates. “That doesn’t mean he’s the winner. He’s just going to say he’s the winner.”

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“That’s our strategy, he’s going to declare he’s the winner,” he continued, saying they planned to take advantage of the fact that more Democrats vote early. “When you wake up Wednesday morning, it’s going to be a firestorm. … Also, if Trump is losing by 10 or 11 o’clock at night, it’s going to be even crazier. He’s going to sit right there and say they stole it: ‘I’m directing the attorney general to shut down all ballot places in all 50 states. He’s not going out easy. If Biden is winning, Trump’s going to do some crazy shit.”

Lofgren added that former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said that Trump planned “as early as July” to declare victory even if he lost, and that Trump’s call votes to stop being counted on Election Day “would have violated both federal and state laws.” She also displayed an email from Trump ally Tom Fitton with a draft statement for Trump to read on the night of the election.

Bannon refused to comply with a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee, and in July was convicted on contempt of Congress charges.

The committee played footage on Thursday of Bannon saying on his podcast on Jan. 5 that “all hell is going to break loose tomorrow,” and that “it’s not going to happen like you think it’s going to happen.”

“All I can say is: strap in,” Bannon added.

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