Trump 'chose not to act' as mob attacked, Jan. 6 committee says

The House Jan. 6 committee's second prime-time hearing focused on what it said was then-President Donald Trump's "187 minutes" of inaction -- from the time he left the rally at the Ellipse, to then watching the attack on the U.S. Capitol on TV at the White House until he finally called on his violent supporters to go home.

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Jul 21, 10:55 PM

Cheney asks: Can Trump ever be trusted to hold power again?

Rep. Liz Cheney, one of two Republicans on the committee, criticized Trump for "preying" on the patriotism of his supporters by lying to them about the 2020 election. His conduct on Jan. 6, she said, was "indefensible."

"In our hearing tonight, you saw an American president faced with a stark and unmistakable choice between right and wrong. There was no ambiguity, no nuance. Donald Trump made a purposeful choice to violate his oath of office, to ignore the ongoing violence against law enforcement, to threaten our constitutional order. There is no way to excuse that behavior," she said.

"And every American must consider this: can a president who is willing to make the choices Donald Trump made during the violence of Jan. 6 ever be trusted with any position of authority in our great nation again?" she asked.

Jul 21, 11:58 PM

Cheney thanks witnesses for their testimony

In her closing statements, committee vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., acknowledged the testimony from dozens of Republican witnesses throughout its investigation.

"The case against Donald Trump in these hearings is not made by witnesses who were his political enemies," she said. "It was, instead, a series of confessions by Donald Trump's own appointees."

That included those who served Trump loyally for years and his own family members, she said.

She thanked the witnesses -- including ex-staffers Sarah Matthews, Matthew Pottinger and Cassidy Hutchinson -- for their bravery in speaking out publicly before millions of Americans.

"[Hutchinson] knew all along that she would be attacked by President Trump and by the 50-, 60- and 70-year-old men who hide themselves behind executive privilege," Cheney said.

Jul 21, 10:38 PM

Trump's conduct on Jan. 6 a 'supreme violation' of his oath: Kinzinger

Rep. Adam Kinzinger said one area where all Americans must agree is on Trump's behavior on Jan. 6.

"Whatever your politics, whatever you think about the outcome of the election, we as Americans must all agree on this: Donald Trump's conduct on Jan. 6 was a supreme violation of his oath of office and a complete dereliction of his duty to our nation," the Illinois Republican said.

"It is a stain on our history," Kinzinger continued. "It is a dishonor to all those who have sacrificed and died in service our democracy."

Jul 21, 10:44 PM

Trump in Jan. 7 statement outtakes: 'I don't want to say the election is over'

The House select committee shared never-before-seen raw footage of outtakes from former President Donald Trump's recorded message on Jan. 7, in which he "still could not say that the election was over," Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., said.

"This election is now over. Congress has certified the results," Trump starts to say, then adding, "I don't want to say the election is over."

"I just want to say Congress has certified the results, without saying the election is over, OK?" he continues.

Trump had refused to record the address for hours, Luria said, but ultimately relented "because of concerns that he might be removed from power by threats of the 25th Amendment."

The 25th Amendment lays out the procedures for replacing the president in the event of death, removal, resignation or incapacitation.

Jul 21, 10:11 PM

Panel airs new footage of urgent call between congressional leaders, defense secretary

Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., introduced what she called "never-before-seen" photos and videos of what lawmakers were doing during the attack.

Congressional leaders called then-acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller at 4:45 p.m. that day to regain control of the Capitol.

"We're not going to let these people keep us from finishing our business," GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell can be heard saying in a huddle of lawmakers. "So, we need you to get the building cleared, give us the okay so that we can go back in session and finish the peoples' business as soon as possible."

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., then asked Miller if he agreed with one assessment that it was going to take "several days" to secure the area. Miller disagreed, stating it would take four to five hours.

At one point, Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Steny Hoyer grouped together taking a phone call about securing the Capitol.

Jul 21, 10:14 PM

Trump went off-script in never-before-seen footage of Rose Garden message

When President Trump recorded his message in the Rose Garden more than three hours after rioters stormed the Capitol, he went "off the cuff," according to committee testimony.

"His staff had prepared a script for him to read, but he refused to use it," Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., said.

The prepared script said, "NO ONE should be using violence or threats of violence to express themselves. Especially at the U.S. Capitol."

The committee shared raw footage from the recording, in which Trump told his supporters, "We love you. You're very special," while urging them to go home.

The committee juxtaposed the filming of this message with footage of the heavy violence still occurring on the Capitol at that moment.

Jul 21, 9:53 PM

Kushner testifies that a 'scared' Kevin McCarthy asked for help during riot

Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and White House adviser, told the committee in taped deposition that House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy wanted help to stop the violence as rioters breached the U.S. Capitol building.

Kushner said McCarthy told him it was "getting really ugly."

"He was scared, yes," Kushner said of McCarthy's state of mind during their call.

The committee also discussed a tense phone call between Trump and McCarthy where Trump alleged it was Antifa at the Capitol -- an allegation that's been debunked by FBI Director Chris Wray and other intelligence officials. McCarthy told Trump it was "your people" and told him to call them off.

Jul 21, 9:55 PM

Donald Trump Jr. texted that his father needed to 'condemn' riot

Text messages displayed by the committee show Donald Trump Jr. thought more needed to be done by his father besides his two tweets calling on rioters to "stay peaceful" even though violence had already begun.

Trump Jr. texted chief of staff Mark Meadows the message: "He's got to condemn this shit. Asap. The capitol police tweet isn't enough."

When Meadows responded that he was pushing hard for Trump to do so, Trump Jr. told him: "go to the mattresses." "They will try to f*** his entire legacy on this if it gets worse," Trump Jr. added.

Fox News personality Sean Hannity also texted Meadows to get Trump to instruct the mob to peacefully leave.

Sarah Matthews, the former deputy press secretary, testified White House staff had to ask several times for the president to include the word "peaceful" in his tweet on Jan. 6. She said it wasn't until Ivanka Trump said "stay peaceful" that he decided to include it.

Jul 21, 9:25 PM

Witnesses react to Trump 'courage' tweet on Pence: 'Fuel being poured on the fire'

The House select committee highlighted strong reaction to a tweet by former President Trump about his vice president amid the riot.

"Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!" the tweet, posted at 2:24 p.m. on Jan. 6, stated.

"He put a target on his own vice president's back," Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., said after sharing the message.

Witness Matthew Pottinger, a deputy national security adviser, said it was in that moment that he decided to resign.

"It looked like fuel being poured on the fire," he told the committee. "I did not want to be associated with the events that were unfolding on the Capitol."

Witness and ex-staffer Sarah Matthews, who served as deputy press secretary, said she thought the tweet "was the last thing that was needed in that moment" from Trump.

"He should have been telling these people to go home, and to leave, and to condemn the violence that we were seeing," she said. "For him to tweet out the message about Mike Pence, it was him pouring gasoline on the fire, and making it much worse."

Jul 21, 11:19 PM

Committee shows Hawley's raised fist, then video of him fleeing

In a moment that's resonated from Thursday's hearing, the committee shared a photo of Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley walking across the Capitol before protesters who had started to gather at the security gates.

"As you can see in this photo, he raised his fist, in solidarity, with the protesters," Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., said.

Luria said a Capitol police told the committee that the gesture "riled up the crowd."

"It bothered her greatly because he was doing it in a safe space, protected by the officers and the barriers," Luria said.

The committee then showed footage of Hawley, who had voted against certifying the results of the election, later fleeing "after those protesters he helped to rile up stormed the Capitol," Luria said.

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