On January 6, 2021, Washington descended into chaos, after another incendiary speech by Donald Trump. The country – and the planet – was in turmoil upon seeing the images of violence in Congress. But what was the most powerful man in the world doing, locked up in the Oval Office? This is the question that must be answered, this Thursday, July 21, the parliamentary commission which has been investigating for almost a year on the assault on the Capitol. This public hearing will be televised, in the first part of the evening.
A day… in front of the television
For its eighth public hearing, the commission intends to shed light this Thursday on the action – or rather the inaction – of Donald Trump on the day of the events. The president intervened only very late to call on the demonstrators to leave the premises in a video posted on Twitter. As a reminder, the clashes left four dead.
“You will hear that Donald Trump never picked up his phone that day to order his administration to help” to the police, assured Liz Cheney, vice-president of this commission, during the previous hearing.
” He didn’t call the army. His Minister of Defense received no orders. He did not call his attorney general. He did not speak to the Department of Homeland Security she continued. In short, although usually often hanging on the phone, Donald Trump was absent subscribers that day.
New testimonials from two advisers to Donald Trump
The nine members of the commission (seven Democrats, two Republicans, the other Republican deputies having refused to participate in this investigation) have already collected numerous testimonies and precise information on the President’s day. They promise a detailed, minute-by-minute account of activity in the Oval Office on January 6, 2021.
However, two new witnesses will speak this Thursday: Matthew Pottinger, Deputy National Security Advisor to the President at the time, and Sarah Matthews, Deputy Spokesperson. Both had resigned on the evening of January 6 to protest against this coup attempt.
This hearing will be broadcast in the evening, like the first, held on June 9. It must mark the end, in principle, of the public hearings, except new revelations in the weeks to come. The commission will submit a report to the Department of Justice at the start of the school year or this fall, recommending, or not, the indictment of certain members of the Trump administration.
Messages deleted by the Secret Service
To make things clear, the commission of inquiry also relies on the Secret Service, the agency responsible for the protection of personalities in the United States. Some of his agents were that day with Donald Trump and with the vice-president, Mike Pence, threatened by sympathizers of the businessman from Queens.
The elected officials therefore asked the Secret Service to communicate to them the documents relating to January 6 in its possession. A request that became urgent after the testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson, a former employee of the White House. On June 29, she said that Donald Trump had tried to force the Secret Service to take her to the Capitol on January 6, to join his supporters there.
However, it turns out that many text messages were deleted that day, “ as part of an appliance replacement program”, according to the Secret Service. The commission asked for an explanation.
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