More than a day has passed since the deadly storming of Congress on January 6 last year, until Donald Trump addressed the residents. Before that, a tug of war was said to have taken place between the then president and his advisors.
This was revealed in a video of witness interviews at the January 6 commission, Posted on Twitter by Congresswoman and Committee member Elaine Luria on Monday.
I thought they were going to die
Here, a number of Trump’s former White House advisers and employees are interviewed about the hours between the attack on Capitol Hill and the president’s speech, including Trump’s daughter and son-in-law Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.
– We wrote some drafts of a letter to the president that he was supposed to see. We felt it was important to continue to call for de-escalation, Kushner says in the video, which the news agency discussed, among other things. Reuters.
cross out several sentences
The video also shows what one of the drafts will be. The script image shows that a number of sentences have been crossed out.
The former president is said to have removed a number of wording. Among other things, a call to prosecute those responsible for the break-in, and wording in which Trump distanced himself from the actions.
“I want to be very clear: You do not represent me. You do not represent our movement,” crossed out the draft script before the committee.
Trump is also said to have overturned the ruling that he would require the Department of Justice to “ensure that all perpetrators are prosecuted,” as well as a sentence that “we must send a clear message – not with mercy, but with justice. The legal consequences must be swift and serious.”
– Dad’s line
When asked by the committee why these provisions were crossed out, Kushner replied:
– I don’t know.
In addition to the crossed out sentences, some words were also crossed out and replaced with milder, handwritten labels.
– It seems to be my father’s handwriting, Ivanka Trump says in the interview.
Trump lied, bullied and betrayed his right
– reluctantly
Several of Trump’s former employees who have testified described concern about what might happen if the president did not distance himself more forcefully from the atrocities the night before.
Trump adviser John McEntee said Kushner told him to move the letter forward and urged Trump to help “de-escalate” the situation.
Was it implied that the president was – in some respects – reluctant to make this speech? asked one of the investigators on the committee.
– Yes, McEntee answered.
– OK. What is it based on?
The fact that someone had to ask me to push it even further, said the former White House employee.
On Thursday of last week, the committee showed a videotape filmed in connection with the recording of the aforementioned speech. It turns out that there are a number of things Trump refuses to say.
I can’t say the election is over, says Trump, the day after Congress ratifies Joe Biden’s election victory.
– Sit inside
– declined to comment
Nor is his Jan. 7 speech the only thing that should have created an internal tug of war in the White House.
Several employees previously explained that Trump was advised by nearly everyone around him to ask the crowd to leave the Capitol as the storming continued on the evening of January 6.
Instead, the president sat and watched the events on television.
Script changed
When he finally spoke, in a video posted on social media, to the masses directly, this text was also said to have been altered.
The text of the draft statement should have read: “I request you to leave the Capitol Hill area now and return home in peace,” according to the NTB.
Then the president chose to add this:
– Then go home. We love you guys. You are very special. I know how you feel.