Storm on the Capitol
Donald Trump is personally trying to pressure witnesses at the Jan. 6 hearings
According to the findings of the parliamentary inquiry committee, ex-President Donald Trump is personally trying to put witnesses to the hearings under pressure.
© Justin Sullivan / Getty Images / AFP
Donald Trump is coming under increasing pressure from the investigation into the storming of the Capitol. The Vice-Chair of the January 6 Commission has now made it public that the ex-President is trying to influence witnesses. The judiciary is informed.
At the end of the recent parliamentary inquiry into the January 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol that left five dead, Liz Cheney dropped another bombshell. After it became clear during the hearing that Trump had been intensively informed by those closest to him that there had been no election fraud, but that the ex-president, despite his better knowledge, had continued to pour oil on the fire, the deputy head of the investigative commission said me that Trump is still trying to hide the truth. The Republican, who is known to be critical of Trump, said he tried to put pressure on witnesses and get them to refuse to testify. The Attorney General has been informed.
The Washington Post reports and other US media. Cheney’s statement was the first public confirmation that Trump was personally trying to influence witnesses. “After our last hearing, President Trump attempted to call a witness to our investigation; a witness who had not yet been seen at a hearing,” Cheney said. This person, whose name she declined to give, declined to take or respond to a call from Donald Trump. Rather, this person informed their lawyer, who in turn informed the commission of inquiry. “This committee passed this information to the Justice Department,” Cheney said. In the United States, the head of the Justice Department is also the Attorney General. It is unclear whether this investigation will begin.
Donald Trump: Several indications of witness manipulation
However, committee member Jamie Raskin told journalists that witness tampering is a criminal offence. Nobody should try to dissuade witnesses from their testimony. However, he does not know which witness Trump should put under pressure. Cheney also declined to name the person for her own protection. He or she will be questioned in one of the next hearings. “We will take any attempt to influence witness statements very seriously,” said the deputy commissioner.
Even during the testimony of former White House adviser Cassidy Hutchinson, which was very incriminating for Trump, Cheney had pointed out text messages that indicated witness influence. Here’s one of the messages: “[Eine Person] let me know you have your statement tomorrow. He wants me to tell you that he’s thinking of you. He knows that you are loyal and that you are doing the right thing if you make your statement.” Cheney also referred to a testimony before the commission, which also addressed attempted influence. The statement said, among other things: “And they’ve reminded me a few times that Trump reads transcripts, just to keep that in mind when making my statements and interviews with the committee.” If she remains loyal to Trump and his team, the person will ” remain in good favor in the Trump world.” One of those statements is related to Hutchinson, it said.
January 6: Trump practically called supporters “to arms”
The evidence of attempted witness manipulation puts additional strain on Donald Trump in connection with the storming of the Capitol. In the most recent hearing on Tuesday (local time), the panel was convinced, according to the DPA news agency, that the ex-president had practically called violent supporters “to arms” in order to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory on January 6, 2021 . In addition to witness statements, they referred in particular to a Trump tweet from December 19, 2020: “Big protest in DC on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!” (roughly: “Strong protest in DC on January 6th. Be there, get wild!”). “The evidence confirms that this was not an impromptu call to action, but a deliberate strategy decided in advance by the President,” said Democratic Representative Stephanie Murphy.