Jan 6 hearings: Ivanka Trump recalls father called Pence ‘a wimp’ in final call
The third public hearing of the House 6 January committee featured bombshell testimony regarding the pressure campaign by Donald Trump and law professor John Eastman to get then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election.
The committee sought to demonstrate that Trump knew he lost the election but “oversaw a scheme” to overturn the result, “when the vice president refused to go along with it, he unleashed a violent mob against Pence at the Capitol”.
Evidence was presented of Pence telling Trump “many times” that the Eastman plan was illegal and unconstitutional. Retired Judge Michael Luttig testifed he would’ve “laid my body across the road” to stop the election being overturned.
Members of Trump’s family and staff testified about a “heated” call with Pence that morning, after which the president rewrote his rally speech with sharp lines about his vice president. Later, he sent a tweet causing angry rioters to surge forward, with some coming within 40 feet of Pence as he was evacuated.
The day after the failed attempt to overturn the election, Eastman emailed asking for a pardon, which he did not receive. Mr Luttig warns the threat to democracy from Trump and remains.
DOJ hits out at January 6 committee for not sharing witness transcripts
The Justice Department has accused the January 6 committee of withholding witness transcripts that would aid the prosecution of people who attacked the US Capitol.
In a letter sent to the committee on Wednesday, the DOJ said the “failure” to grant it access to the transcripts “complicates the department’s ability to investigate and prosecute those who engaged in criminal conduct” in relation to the Capitol attack.
“It is critical that the Select Committee provide us with copies of the transcripts of all of its witness interviews,” continued the letter, which was signed by Assistant Attorneys General Kenneth Polite, Jr and Matthew Olsen, as well as US Attorney Matthew Graves.
Richard Hall reports on the latest developments in the possible criminal proceedings against those involved in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2022 04:30
Proud Boys ‘were willing to kill vice president’ and rioters got within 40 feet of Pence
One of the most stunning moments of Thursday’s hearing of the January 6 committee came as members presented a 3D model of areas of the Senate basement where Mike Pence was evacuated to after leaving the Senate floor with Secret Service.
According to security footage of the day, rioters came dangerously close to the vice president while members of the crowd inside and outside of the Capitol chanted, “hang Mike Pence”.
And according to committee member Pete Aguilar, a confidential witness has testified to the FBI that members of the Proud Boys, who were present in the riot, “would have killed Mike Pence if given the chance”.
John Bowden has startling details of the story.
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2022 04:00
Eastman asked for pardon and lobbied Pence to overturn election after the riot
The conservative attorney John Eastman requested a pardon after pushing the plan to change the outcome of the 2020 election despite being aware that the strategy was illegal.
Gustaf Kilander reports on today’s hearing.
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2022 03:30
‘You are a wimp’: Ivanka Trump recalls father’s final Jan 6 call with Mike Pence
Trump’s eldest daughter Ivanka Trump told the committee in prerecorded testimony that it “wasn’t a specific, formal discussion, it was very loose and casual”.
“The conversation was pretty heated,” Ms Trump added.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2022 03:00
Trump lied about Mike Pence agreeing he could overturn election, hearing told
An attorney who served as Mike Pence’s chief legal counsel in the days leading up to Jan 6 rebuked Donald Trump on Thursday and said that a statement the president put out claiming that the vice president agreed he had the power to overturn the election was “categorically false”.
Greg Jacob made the declaration on Thursday just before the January 6 committee took a recess.
Asked about a statement Mr Trump put out on the day before the riot claiming that he and Pence were in “total agreement” about the vice president’s authority to interfere in the electoral vote count, Mr Jacob said that the vice president’s team was “shocked and disappointed.”
John Bowden reports on the testimony.
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2022 02:30
Eastman tried to justify potential violence over plot to overturn election
that would ensue if the former president tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election, the select committee investigating the January 6 riot at the Capitol hear in testimony on Thursday.
The committee played video testimony from former Trump administration lawyer Eric Herschman describing his conversation with John C Eastman, who was trying to concoct a plan for then-vice president Mike Pence to overturn the election results during the certification of the Electoral College.
“You’re saying that you believe the vice president, acting as president of the Senate of the Senate can be the sole decision-maker as to, under your theory, who becomes the next president of the United States”, Mr Herschmann recalled saying, to which Mr Eastman said “yes.”
Eric Garcia, reporting for The Independent from Capitol Hill, has the story.
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2022 02:00
Video shows mob threatening to kill Pence
The threats against Mr Pence came after Mr Trump falsely told them that Mr Pence had the power to change the outcome of the election.
Introducing the video, Representative Pete Aguilar said that the attack on the Capitol was “the effect of Donald Trump’s words and actions”.
Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC.
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2022 01:30
Jan 6 witness knocks down Trump lawyer’s argument to overturn election
A retired federal judge who formely counted a top lawyer for Donald Trump’s campaign among his law clerks, roundly dismissed the idea that Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to interfere in the count of the Electoral College.
J Michael Luttig, a former US Court of Appeals judge for the Fourth Circuit, rejected the idea supported by his former clerk, John Eastman, that posited the vice president could toss out results from states where the Trump campaign had claimed fraud (without evidence).
“There was no basis in the Constitution or the laws of the United States at all for the theory espoused by Mr Eastman. At all. None,” Mr Luttig told the House January 6 committee on Thursday.
John Bowden watched his testimony.
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2022 01:00
VP aide: Pence told Trump ‘many times’ that plan to overturn election was illegal
Former Vice President Mike Pence warned Donald Trump that his plans to overturn the 2020 election were illegal ahead of January 6, the committee investigating Mr Trump’s role in the attack revealed on Thursday.
The latest revelation came in the form of testimony from Marc Short, the vice president’s ex-chief of staff who has remained one of his closest aides since Mr Pence left the White House in 2021.
According to Mr Short, the vice president warned Mr Trump “many times” that the plan was unconstitutional, yet Mr Trump pressed forward in his efforts to pressure his VP into interfering in the electoral count anyway.
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2022 00:30
Oliver O’Connell16 June 2022 23:45