US Board of Inquiry
MPs convinced: Trump had planned a storm on the Capitol for a long time
Donald Trump on January 6, 2021: “I’m the fucking President. Take me to the Capitol.”
© Mark Humphrey / DPA
Was the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021 a planned strategy by Donald Trump? At least that is the opinion of the committee of inquiry at its seventh public meeting. And he has good reasons for it.
According to the parliamentary committee of inquiry into the storming of the Capitol, then-US President Donald Trump called on violent supporters “to arms” before the attack. At a public hearing on Tuesday, MPs referred, among other things, to a tweet by the President-elect dated December 19, 2020, in which he called for a rally on January 6, 2021. At that time Trump had written verbatim: Big protest in DC on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!” (roughly: “Big protest in DC on January 6th. Be there, go wild!”).
That tweet “served as a call to action, and in some cases a call to arms, for many of President Trump’s most loyal supporters,” said Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy. Rep. Jamie Raskin said the tweet “electrified and stirred up Trump’s supporters, especially the dangerous extremists in the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys and other racist and nationalist groups who were looking for a fight against the government.”
Donald Trump did not act spontaneously on January 6th
The fact that Trump then called for a march on the Capitol in his speech in Washington on January 6 was not a spontaneous decision, but planned, said Murphy. “The evidence confirms that this was not an impromptu call to action, but a deliberate strategy decided in advance by the President.”
Hundreds of radical Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, when the victory of Trump’s challenger Joe Biden in the November 2020 presidential election was to be confirmed there. Among the attackers were members of the far-right groups Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. The U Committee highlighted on Tuesday that two Trump confidants – his former national security adviser Michael Flynn and controversial political strategist Roger Stone – had ties to the Oath Keepers.
Testifying at the live televised hearing was Jason Van Tatenhove, a former member of the Oath Keepers. He described the Oath Keepers as a “dangerous organization” hoping to gain “legitimacy” as a paramilitary group through their loyalty to Trump.
Also testifying at the hearing was a man from the state of Ohio who took part in the storming of the Capitol. Stephen Ayres said he went to Washington at the time because Trump whipped everyone up.
Storming of the Capitol is considered a black day in US history
The storming of the Capitol with five dead caused horror worldwide and is considered a black day in the history of US democracy. The Capitol Storming Committee of Inquiry is currently holding a series of public hearings to uncover what happened at the time.
At the end of the public hearing in Washington, the investigative committee warned Donald Trump against attempting to influence witnesses. Committee vice chair Liz Cheney said Trump attempted to contact a witness who has not yet testified publicly. He refused to respond to the call and hired a lawyer instead. The Republican added, “Let me say again that we will take any attempt to influence witness testimony very seriously.”