Live Updates: Jan. 6 Panel Votes to Subpoena Trump
“He is required to answer for his actions,” said the chairman of the committee investigating the Capitol attack. The panel revealed new video of congressional leaders desperately seeking help from the Trump administration and the National Guard as rioters stormed the building.
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol voted unanimously Thursday to issue a subpoena to former President Donald J. Trump to question him about his role in events that led to the violence that consumed Congress.
“He is required to answer for his actions,” said Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the chairman of the committee, at the end of what was possibly the panel’s final public session. “He is required to answer to those police officers who put their lives and bodies on the line to defend our democracy.”
Two topics of much public interest -- Ginni Thomas’s role in the effort to overturn the 2020 election, and cabinet discussions about ousting Trump using the 25th Amendment -- did not come up in today’s hearing. Investigators say neither line of inquiry provided significant enough evidence to feature at the 2.5-hour hearing.
The House committee investigating what led to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack held its ninth — and potentially final — hearing of the year on Thursday, rehashing the panel’s arguments that President Donald J. Trump was directly responsible for inciting the violence. In a surprise move at the end of the hearing, the panel voted unanimously, 9 to 0, to subpoena Mr. Trump to provide both documents and testimony about the attempts to overturn the election.
Here are four takeaways from the hearing.
The Jan. 6 committee’s decision to issue a subpoena to former President Donald J. Trump may not yield the same result that a House committee subpoena of former President John Tyler for testimony did in 1846. Tyler complied.
Mr. Trump has signaled disdain for the Jan. 6 committee, and his lawyers may advise him to fight it instead, since answering questions under oath could risk perjury charges if he lies.
The House Jan. 6 committee’s hearings have drawn in millions of viewers, but after Thursday, the panel will turn to what’s perhaps an even bigger assignment: completing a comprehensive report that lays out the findings of its investigation, including the complex series of events that led to the violence that consumed the Capitol, in a narrative that’s easy to read.
It is a gargantuan and consequential document that the committee’s staff has been working around the clock to finish, and whose deadline has slipped repeatedly, leaving in doubt whether it will emerge before November’s midterm elections, as initially planned. The panel has conducted more than 1,000 interviews, most with lengthy transcripts to review, and obtained millions of pages of documents that aides are still going through.
Since it became public that the House select committee planned to subpoena Trump for his testimony, the former president has been telling aides he favors doing so, so long as he gets to do so live, according to a person familiar with his discussions. However, it is unclear whether the committee would accept such a demand.
As the special House committee investigating the attack at the Capitol wraps up its work, lawmakers are moving to strengthen the law to prevent a future presidential candidate from trying to abuse Congress’s historically ceremonial electoral vote count to subvert a lawful election, as former President Donald J. Trump tried to do on Jan. 6, 2021.
The House passed its overhaul of the Electoral Count Act in September on a mostly party-line vote, and the Senate is expected to consider a similar plan in the lame-duck session that begins Nov. 14. The Senate version got a big boost last month, when it was endorsed by Senator Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and minority leader, who made it clear he would only back his chamber’s plan, putting pressure on the House to accept that bill.
The Jan. 6 hearings have so far largely focused on events leading up to and on that date, as President Donald J. Trump and his allies attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. But their efforts did not stop there.
Long after Mr. Trump left office, his supporters continued to amplify and perpetuate falsehoods about the election, giving rise to a movement across the country that is weakening faith in the country’s democratic systems as the midterm elections approach.
As the Jan. 6 committee’s hearings over the summer drew national attention and television ratings comparable to a “Sunday Night Football” matchup, Democrats began to harbor hope that the revelations could bolster their chances in a difficult midterm election environment.
But recent polling has found mixed effects.
Donald Trump pressed his claims of a fraudulent election on his Truth Social account today, and took an unsurprisingly dim view of the Jan. 6 committee’s unanimous vote to subpoena him. “Why didn’t the Unselect Committee ask me to testify months ago?” he posted. “Why did they wait until the very end, the final moments of their last meeting? Because the Committee is a total ‘BUST’ that has only served to further divide our Country which, by the way, is doing very badly - A laughing stock all over the World?”
In a statement, Representative Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 House Republican, called the subpoena “a desperate political ploy.” She added that it would “only energize the American people to fire Nancy Pelosi once and for all and deliver a red tsunami that will elect a historic Republican majority to hold Joe Biden accountable.”
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack voted Thursday to subpoena former President Donald J. Trump, but has yet to settle on whether to enforce subpoenas issued to four key Republican members of Congress who have refused to cooperate with the inquiry.
Thompson tells reporters that the committee has no plans to subpoena former Vice President Mike Pence.
Huddling with congressional leaders in a secure location as the Capitol was under siege, Speaker Nancy Pelosi was emphatic: There had to be a way to show the public that the government could function and the transfer of power could continue.
Was there a way to return to the Capitol and continue certifying the election, she asked.
A dramatic ending to what could be the final public hearing of the committee, with a unanimous vote to subpoena Trump.
transcript
WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 —> 00:00:03.270 “We are obligated to seek answers directly 00:00:03.270 —> 00:00:06.300 from the man who set this all in motion. 00:00:06.300 —> 00:00:09.790 And every American is entitled to those answers 00:00:09.790 —> 00:00:13.840 so we can act now to protect our republic. 00:00:13.840 —> 00:00:18.130 So this afternoon I am offering this resolution 00:00:18.130 —> 00:00:20.650 that the committee direct the chairman 00:00:20.650 —> 00:00:24.070 to issue a subpoena for relevant documents 00:00:24.070 —> 00:00:28.560 and testimony under oath from Donald John Trump 00:00:28.560 —> 00:00:31.720 in connection with the Jan. 6 attack 00:00:31.720 —> 00:00:34.210 on the United States Capitol. 00:00:34.210 —> 00:00:35.460 Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 00:00:35.460 —> 00:00:37.420 I yield back.” 00:00:37.420 —> 00:00:40.360 “Gentlelady yields back — if there’s no further debate, 00:00:40.360 —> 00:00:44.240 the question is on agreeing to the resolution. 00:00:44.240 —> 00:00:46.371 Those in favor will say, ‘aye.’” 00:00:46.371 —> 00:00:48.102 Committee: “Aye.” 00:00:48.102 —> 00:00:49.770 “Those opposed — ‘no.’ 00:00:49.770 —> 00:00:51.600 In the opinion of the chair, 00:00:51.600 —> 00:00:52.870 the ‘ayes’ have it.” 00:00:52.870 —> 00:00:55.450 “Mr. Chairman, I request a recorded vote.” 00:00:55.450 —> 00:00:57.670 “A recorded vote is requested. 00:00:57.670 —> 00:01:00.610 The clerk will call the roll.” 00:01:00.610 —> 00:01:01.240 “Ms. Cheney.” 00:01:01.240 —> 00:01:02.185 “Aye.” 00:01:02.185 —> 00:01:03.567 “Ms. Cheney, ‘aye.’ 00:01:04.472 —> 00:01:05.413 Ms. Lofgren.” 00:01:05.413 —> 00:01:06.470 “Aye.” 00:01:06.470 —> 00:01:08.349 “Ms. Lofgren, ‘aye.’ 00:01:08.349 —> 00:01:09.160 Mr. Schiff.” 00:01:09.160 —> 00:01:10.220 “Aye.” 00:01:10.220 —> 00:01:12.570 “Mr. Schiff, ‘aye.’ 00:01:12.570 —> 00:01:13.860 Mr. Aguilar.” 00:01:13.860 —> 00:01:14.490 “Aye.” 00:01:14.490 —> 00:01:16.340 “Mr Aguilar, ‘aye.’ 00:01:16.340 —> 00:01:17.260 Mrs. Murphy.” 00:01:17.260 —> 00:01:18.250 “Aye.” 00:01:18.250 —> 00:01:20.210 Mrs. Murphy, ‘aye.’ 00:01:20.210 —> 00:01:21.220 “Mr. Raskin.” 00:01:21.220 —> 00:01:21.960 “Aye.” 00:01:21.960 —> 00:01:23.960 “Mr. Raskin, ‘aye.’ 00:01:23.960 —> 00:01:25.250 “Mrs. Luria.” 00:01:25.250 —> 00:01:25.960 “Aye.” 00:01:25.960 —> 00:01:27.630 “Ms. Luria, ‘aye.’ 00:01:27.630 —> 00:01:28.730 Mr. Kinzinger.” 00:01:28.730 —> 00:01:30.114 “Kinzinger, aye.” 00:01:30.114 —> 00:01:31.730 “Mr. Kinzinger, ‘aye.’ 00:01:31.730 —> 00:01:33.090 “Mr. Chairman.” 00:01:33.090 —> 00:01:34.140 “Aye.” 00:01:34.140 —> 00:01:37.742 “Mr. Chairman, ‘aye.’” 00:01:37.742 —> 00:01:40.220 “The clerk will report the vote.” 00:01:40.220 —> 00:01:42.140 “Mr. Chairman, on this vote, there 00:01:42.140 —> 00:01:45.320 are nine ‘ayes’ and zero ‘nos.’” 00:01:45.320 —> 00:01:48.280 “The resolution is agreed to.”
The committee has unanimously voted to subpoena Trump for testimony about the Jan. 6 riot.
Cheney says the committee has “sufficient information to consider criminal referrals for multiple individuals.”
As members prepare for this vote, it’s a reminder of how different this committee would have been had Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader, chosen to keep all of his nominees on the committee. He withdrew his nominees after Nancy Pelosi rejected two of his choices.
Cheney just motioned for a vote to subpoena Trump. “He must be accountable. He is required to answer for his actions,” Thompson said.
Thompson is delivering a scorching indictment of Trump as he lays the groundwork for a subpoena. Multiple times today, committee members called Trump “the center” of the Jan. 6 events.
Meanwhile, just minutes after video played showing the mob brutally attacking police officers, Capitol Police just tweeted what appears to be a recruitment notice.
Reminder that while McConnell expressed deep outrage about Trump’s failures on Jan. 6, he did not vote to convict him on impeachment charges.
Raskin says Trump’s adult children reached out to Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, to implore him to reason with Trump. This is something his family members have had to do repeatedly in various scenarios.
People who have never really seen Pelosi in action are getting a good sense of it from these remarkable videos.
Pelosi on a call describes the horrors of the insurrection, saying on a call there was "poo-poo that they're making all over the" Capitol — "literally and figuratively."
Among the attempts Trump and his allies have made is to try to diminish how frightening it was that day for people inside the halls of Congress, and the sheer scope of what they were dealing with.
Right now, you can see Pelosi on the phone surrounded by leaders in both parties, including Senator Mitch McConnell, his top aides and other lawmakers.
This behind-the-scenes footage of the congressional leaders desperately trying to get help from the Trump administration is stunning.
This is remarkable footage of congressional leaders that we haven’t seen before, as they are pleading for resources to help people in the Capitol.
“It’s just horrendous, and all at the instigation of the president of the United States,” Pelosi says on the phone with Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia, watching footage of rioters breaking into the building.
“Do you believe this?” Pelosi asks, in video from a secure location, once she is told that lawmakers in the chamber are putting on gas masks to prepare for a breach.
Wow. This video, previously unreleased, shows Speaker Nancy Pelosi evacuating from the Capitol to a secure location, on the phone, pushing to finish the certification of the election results.
Investigations involving Trump are layering atop one another. As the committee’s hearing continues to unfold, the Supreme Court has just denied Trump’s request that it intervene in the Mar-a-Lago documents investigationand stay part of an 11th Circuit ruling. The denial means 103 documents marked as classified will stay out of the special master-overseen privilege review process ordered by a Trump-appointed federal judge in Florida, so the government does not have to show the sensitive files to Trump’s legal team.
Laughter breaks out in the hearing room as video of Pat Cipollone’s deposition plays. He scoffs when asked if anyone on the White House staff did not want rioters to leave the Capitol. He says he cannot think of anyone who felt that way.
The Secret Service’s documentation of the events before and after Jan. 6 has faced scrutiny from the National Archives, congressional committees and the inspector general overseeing the agency. The inspector general has accused the agency of refusing to turn over a full accounting of text messages sent by agents at the time. The Secret Service has said it turned over thousands of documents to the congressional committee, including those being detailed by Aguilar.
Aguilar also says the committee is reviewing advice “given not to tell the committee about this specific topic” and will address that in the report.
Aguilar says that before its report, the committee will reinterview witnesses about the reported altercation between President Trump and a member of his Secret Service detail in his limo ahead of the rally.
transcript
Day of Rage: How Trump Supporters Took the U.S. Capitol
A six-month Times investigation has synchronized and mapped out thousands of videos and police radio communications from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, providing the most complete picture to date of what happened — and why.
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” [cheering] They came from all 50 states out of some sense of patriotic duty … “It’s so much more than just rallying for President Trump. It’s really rallying for our way of life. The American dream, against fake news.” … to protest an election they believed had been stolen. “Stop the steal! Stop the steal!” “We’re here, patriots. We’re in Washington D.C. Capitol building dead in front of us.” Their day of action would be Jan. 6 … “The House comes to order.” … when Congress would count electoral ballots and ratify the 2020 election results. For some, it was just a rally for their president. For others, it was a call to arms. “We have the power in numbers. March on Congress directly after Trump’s speech.” In the weeks beforehand, there were over a million mentions on social media of storming the Capitol. Maps were shared of the building’s layout. There was talk of bringing weapons and ammunition, and discussion over which lawmakers should be targeted first. This anger was based on a lie. “This election was a fraud.” A lie that had grown more frenzied after the election. “President Trump won this election.” “They were flipping votes.” “Steal the election in Philadelphia.” “When you win in a landslide and they —” “Steal the election in Atlanta —” “And it’s rigged —” “Steal the election in Milwaukee —” “It’s not acceptable.” “This is outrageous.” A lie spread by the president and his closest allies. “Let’s call out cheating when we find it.” Some of whom stoked calls for violence. “All hell is going to break loose tomorrow.” “Everyone’s going to remember who actually stands in the breach and fights tomorrow. And who goes running off like a chicken.” “We bleed freedom.” “This will be their Waterloo.” “And we will sacrifice for freedom.” “This will be their destruction.” “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” What happened next was chaos. “They broke the glass?” Insurrection. “Take it now!” “Treason! Treason!” Death. Then, there began a campaign to whitewash history, starting at the top. “It was a zero threat. Right from the start, it was zero threat.” And spreading throughout the Republican Party. “Even calling it an insurrection, It wasn’t. By and large, it was peaceful protest.” One lawmaker, who helped barricade the House doors, now suggests there was barely any threat. “If you didn’t know the TV footage was a video from January the 6th, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit.” A tourist visit this was not. And the proof is in the footage. As part of a six-month investigation, The New York Times has collected and forensically analyzed thousands of videos, most filmed by the rioters themselves. We obtained internal police radio traffic … … and went to court to unseal police body-cam footage. Our reconstruction shows the Capitol riot for what it was, a violent assault encouraged by the president on a seat of democracy that he vowed to protect. We’ll chart how police leaders failed to heed warnings of an impending attack, putting rank-and-file officers in danger. We’ll track key instigators in the mob taking advantage of weaknesses in the Capitol’s defenses to ignite a wave of violence that engulfed the building. We’ll show, for the first time, the many simultaneous points of attack, and the eight breaches of what appeared to be an impenetrable institution of government. We’ll show how the delay to secure Congress likely cost a rioter her life. And how for some, storming the Capitol was part of the plan, all along. “In fact, tomorrow, I don’t even like to say it because I’ll be arrested.” “Well, let’s not say it. We need to go — I’ll say it.” “All right.” “We need to go in to the Capitol.” “Let’s go!” It’s the morning of Jan. 6, and thousands are filling the National Mall in Washington. Trump will speak here at the Ellipse, a large park near the White House and a half-hour walk to the U.S. Capitol where the election will be certified. Who is actually in this crowd? Most are ordinary citizens who believe Trump’s lie that the election was stolen. “It’s going to be a great day. It’s going to be wild, as Trump says.” But we also see more extreme groups who’ve gained a following during Trump’s presidency. There are followers of the QAnon conspiracy … “Drinking their blood, eating our babies.” … who believe that Trump is facing down a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles. Q posts often invoked notions of patriotism and predict a coming storm. And ahead of Jan. 6, some supporters call for violence. The Oath Keepers, a far-right paramilitary group, are also here. “We have men already stationed outside D.C. —” Their leader has said the group is ready to follow Trump’s orders and take members of what they call the “Deep State” into custody. They’re organized, staging their military-style equipment neatly on the ground. And later, they put on body armor, talk on radios, and chat with their supporters on a walkie-talkie app called Zello. “We have a good group. We got about 30, 40, of us who are sticking together and sticking to the plan. Y’all, we’re one block away from the Capitol, now. I’m probably going to go silent when I get there because I’m going to be a little busy.” Another group is the Proud Boys. They’re far-right nationalists who flashed white power signs throughout the day. “Check out all this testosterone.” They became a household name when Trump invoked them during a presidential debate. “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by.” And that’s what they did. They have a history of street violence and will be key instigators of the riot. We’ll return to them soon. Although the rally is billed as a political protest, some make calls to storm the Capitol even before Trump speaks. And later, when Trump does take the stage … “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol.” … some hear his words as a call to action. “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building.” Two hours before this, the Proud Boys were already heading for the Capitol. They’re clearly spoiling for a fight with far-left agitators like antifa, who they believe are in D.C. But there are moments that suggest another motive. “Come on, tighten up.” “Come on, boys. They’re organized, too. Many are marked with orange tape or hats. They’re wearing body armor, carrying baseball bats and using radios. “That’s affirmative. Jesse, this is Tucker” Leading them is Ethan Nordean, who’s been entrusted with so-called war powers. He’s joined by other well-known Proud Boys like Joe Biggs, an organizer from Florida, Dominic Pezzola, a former Marine, and Billy Chrestman. They will be among the first rioters inside the Capitol building. “Proud Boys.” As Trump is speaking, some of his other supporters also head to the Capitol. Chanting: “Whose streets? Our streets! Whose streets? Our streets!” And the tone is becoming menacing. “And we’re going to storm the [expletive] Capitol. [expletive] you, [expletive].” “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” Just ahead, officers guarding the building are understaffed and ill-equipped for what’s coming their way. “You going to stop us?” The building is more than two football fields in length. And barricades erected on the east side are defended by just a few dozen officers. The west side, facing Trump’s rally, is even lighter. The fencing has been extended and on the northwest approach, only five officers stand guard. Around five also defend the southwest approach, a few more dot the lawn and about a dozen officers are behind them. Plans to storm the Capitol were made in plain sight, but the F.B.I. and Department of Homeland Security did not deem those threats as credible. “We will take that building!” “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” Capitol Police leaders and Washington’s mayor were warned at least three times of violent threats, but also didn’t take them seriously or circulate that information. And they declined offers of security personnel from federal and other agencies. They could have enlisted several hundred more Capitol police for duty on Jan. 6, but did not. And none of the officers on the barricades have protective gear or crowd-control equipment. As a result, the Capitol is sparsely defended. “Whose House? Our House! Whose House? Our House!” It’s 12:50 p.m. and a large group of Proud Boys is with other protesters right by the Capitol Police line. Joe Biggs is rallying them. When he’s approached by Ryan Samsel, a Trump supporter from Pennsylvania. They chat, we don’t know about what. But a minute later, Samsel is the first to approach the police line. And it’s now that the protest turns violent. “U.S.A.!” Without hesitation, the crowd overpowers the police. Nearby, a second group breaks through on another approach. Others jump fences. And now hundreds of rioters rush forward on several fronts. “D.C. is a [expletive] war zone.” Police retreat to the Capitol building where it’s becoming more threatening. “This is what we came for! Yeah!” A mob mentality begins to take hold. Police are so outnumbered, they’re forced to retreat again to more tightly defend access points to the Capitol. It’s now five minutes into the siege that the Capitol Police chief calls for backup from local law enforcement, known as the Metropolitan Police, and asks other Capitol leaders to mobilize the National Guard. “You took an oath! Does that not mean a damn thing to you, does it?” Metro Police will arrive within 15 minutes. But for reasons we’ll explain later, the National Guard won’t arrive for over four hours. “Back up! Back up!” Meanwhile, more Capitol Police come to reinforce the line. It’s the first time we see officers in riot gear. But most are missing their shields because they had not prepared to unlock the storage area where that equipment is kept. Proud Boys like Billy Chrestman keep rallying the mob. And again, they start brawling with the police. Minutes later, reinforcements from the Metro Police arrive. A high-ranking Metro officer immediately calls for more backup. They struggle to subdue rioters who respond with their own chemical spray. And within 30 minutes, the police already have casualties. [shouting] This first wave of rioters battling police has paved the way across Capitol grounds for others to follow. And after Trump finishes speaking, thousands more now fill the space. Meanwhile, inside the Capitol, Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence have begun certifying the 2020 presidential election results. Certification will happen on both sides of the building, in the House and the Senate. And this is what the rioters want to stop. An hour into the assault, the mob is battling a police line here, along the west face of the Capitol. But that violence is now going to spread to multiple points of attack, as west side rioters stream around the Capitol and incite the crowd on the east. Here’s what that crowd looks like on the east. “Stop the steal! Stop the steal! Stop the steal!” They’re aware of the siege happening on the west side, and some are emboldened by it. But up until now, they’ve been kept behind the barricades. “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” Then this group from the west storms around to the building and pushes right through the barriers. The police here barely put up a fight. And it’s now that protesters, all along the east barricades, surge forward. [cheering] Officers are overwhelmed from several directions, and retreat to guard Capitol entrances. But these rioters believe they’ve been deputized by their president to stop a crime. And now, they start trying to get into the building itself. [shouting] [glass breaking] [pounding on door] The Capitol is now surrounded. Rioters haven’t made it inside yet, but around the time that the mob on the east pushed forward, rioters on the west were making a pivotal move. This scaffolding was erected for the upcoming inauguration of Joe Biden. It covers a staircase that gives direct access to an upper level, and dozens of doors and windows. Three police lines guard that route. But at ground level, officers are so overwhelmed that just a few cover this crucial access point. Several Proud Boys see the weakness. Proud Boys start fighting the police, and with others in the mob, they push through the line. Over several minutes, it’s a brutal fight on these steps. At one point, the rioters are held back. [groaning] But they make a final push up the flight of stairs. [cheering] At the top, they scuffle again with a small group of officers … … who give in after barely a minute. The mob now has direct access to Capitol entrances. “I can’t believe this is reality. We accomplished this [expletive].” And hundreds more protesters below, surge forward. “Let’s go! The siege is ours.” It’s utter mayhem, and it’s about to get worse. This scene is being filmed from countless angles allowing us to piece together, moment by moment, what comes next. Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola uses a police shield he stole to bash in a window. And at 2:13 p.m., the Capitol is breached. Michael Sparks, a Trump supporter from Kentucky, is the first person inside. A police officer seems unsure of what to do and backs off. Sparks is followed by Proud Boys and other far-right extremists, one carrying a Confederate flag, another armed with a baseball bat. When rioters break open the locked doors, hundreds more rush in. [shouting] [glass breaking] This is a critical moment. Officers must now defend the outside and inside of the building, stretching them even further. Simultaneous events now happen that are critical to lawmakers’ safety. Rioters head straight for the Senate, and will be at its doors in two minutes. Above them, the Senate is called into recess. “We’ll pause.” Members will evacuate down these stairs. In this hallway, directly overhead the rioters, Officer Eugene Goodman is sprinting to overtake them. He passes Mitt Romney, who he warns to turn around. Reinforcements are following behind. Goodman overtakes the mob, goes downstairs and intercepts them. He holds them off while backup arrives upstairs. Behind these rioters, and just feet away, is an escape route where the lawmakers and Senate staff are now fleeing. Just one officer stands guard. Keeping his composure, Goodman draws the mob away from that escape route to where reinforcements are waiting. Goodman: “Second floor!” He glances toward the Senate, and realizes the door is unguarded. Goodman shoves the protester again, lures the mob away, and brings them into that line of fellow officers. Again, the rioters here are convinced it’s their duty to defend democracy. “We’re not [expletive] around! Because we are mad!” [shouting] The officers hold them off here, for now. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Capitol, a few political leaders are evacuated from the House of Representatives. But despite a lockdown alert, proceedings here will resume. “The House will be in order.” We’ll go there soon. First, we’ll go to the Crypt in the center of the Capitol below the Rotunda. The mob is already at its entrance. If they get through here, they will more easily fan out across the building. Rioters jostle with police here for six minutes, and then flood through. It’s now 2:24 p.m., some 90 minutes after the siege began, and the mob is about to overrun the building. “Stop the steal! Stop the steal!” As this is happening, and as thousands more swell outside, Trump composes a tweet. Not to calm his supporters, but to blame his vice president. He writes: At this very time, Pence and his family are being taken to safety, along with an aide who’s carrying the country’s nuclear launch equipment. “O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave?” At 2:25 p.m., there’s another major breach on the opposite side of the building, the east side. Rioters have been battling a handful of officers at these doors for almost half an hour. The tide turns when rioters who came through the Crypt, reach these doors and pull them open. Then an active-duty Marine Corps officer, Christopher Warnagiris, keeps that door open for the mob to flood in. Just as elsewhere, this crowd is a mix of die-hard Trump supporters, but also more organized groups like the Oath Keepers, who move in formation here toward that east side entrance. The Oath Keepers and their supporters continue to update each other on the Zello chat app. The group enters the Capitol together. Proud Boys are near them, including Joe Biggs, the organizer we saw earlier. He’s entering the building for a second time. The Oath Keepers fill the Rotunda along with hundreds of other rioters. “Took over the Capitol. Overran the Capitol.” “We’re in the [expletive] Capitol, bro.” Now the police inside the building are completely outnumbered and call for backup. “It’s our House!” “Whose House?” “Our House!” Throughout the Capitol, staffers have barricaded doors to keep the mob out. In Nancy Pelosi’s chambers, staffers rush inside a conference room and lock two doors behind them. Just 12 minutes later, rioters outside head straight for her offices. “Nancy! Nancy!” And pile in. Huddled together under a table, Pelosi’s staff record what’s happening. One rioter tries to break into that same room. Inside, staffers are silent as they record him pounding. [loud banging] He gets through the first door, but the second door keeps him out. It’s a scene that, again, shows just how compromised the U.S. government has become. “I think I like my new dining room.” By 2:30 p.m., the Senate evacuation is well underway. But even though a lockdown was called over 15 minutes ago, the House is still in session. “Do not accept Arizona’s electors as certified.” Representative Jim McGovern is chairing. He told us he wanted to finish hearing objections to the election results by Paul Gosar. House staff and security gave McGovern the all-clear to continue. It’s a delay that likely cost someone their life. Suddenly, staff are now pointing at the chamber’s doors. Just outside, a mob of 100 or more is baying to get into them. These rioters pay little heed to the thin line of police. “They’re going. Yeah, I would just stop — bro.” And in moments, are pushing against the doors into the House. “Stop the steal!” On the other side, Capitol Police erect a barricade and draw their guns. “You’re a traitor.” On the floor, lawmakers are evacuated to the rear of the chamber, where in a few minutes a rioter will be shot and killed. Part of the mob outside now peels off in that direction to find a different way in. Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran and QAnon supporter, is among the first to arrive at the rear of the House. “Open the door.” They see the lawmakers escaping. That lobby might have been clear had the House been evacuated sooner. But the rioters now become incensed. Zachary Alam, a Trump supporter from Pennsylvania, punches in the glass panels with his bare fists. [pounding on door] “Open the door.” Police are stretched extremely thin. Just three officers and a security staffer stand guard. None are wearing riot gear, and they keep their weapons holstered. “It’s going to get worse.” “Open the door.” When a team of heavily armed police now arrives, the three officers step aside. “Go! Let’s go! Get this.” This creates a crucial gap that allows rioters to smash in the glass. A warning — what happens next is graphic. It’s 2:44 p.m., and behind the door, a police officer draws his handgun. Babbitt vaults into the window and the officer shoots her once. [gunshot] “Oh! Oh!” It’s a fatal wound through the upper chest. Inside the chamber, the floor is clear, but lawmakers in the balcony are sheltering in place. [gunshot] “The [expletive]?” “Take your pins off.” “Pins off.” They now remove the breast pins that identify them as members of Congress. A group of rioters who almost made it to the balcony are held at gunpoint as it’s finally evacuated. Now Trump supporters have achieved their goal, stopping the election certification. And while the House is evacuated, at the other side of the building, the Senate is occupied. “Treason! Treason! Treason!” On the Senate floor, they leaf through lawmakers’ files. “There’s got to be something in here we can [expletive] use against these scumbags.” Mug for photos. “Jesus Christ —” Pray. “We invoke Your name. Amen!” “Amen!” And leave a message for Mike Pence. “It’s only a matter of time. Justice is coming.” As rioters inside have been rampaging throughout the Capitol, the crowd outside has grown. And that first battle has continued raging. [horn blowing] For almost two hours, officers face off with rioters who say they support the police … … but assault them, anyway. We’re going to show what happened here because it demonstrates, yet again, how failures by Capitol Police leaders to prepare put the safety of these officers at risk. “Leave him alone! Leave him alone!” Capitol Police had been ordered to withhold some of their stronger weapons. But as soon as Robert Glover, a Metro Police inspector arrives, he calls for his munitions team to help. When the building is breached, Glover knows he needs to retreat and seeks advice from Capitol leaders. [shouting] When Capitol don’t respond, he asks four times. “Push! Push! Push! Push!” Then, the police lose the line. “We the people, we are the storm!” Rioters knock an officer over, throw a fire extinguisher. “U.S.A.!” Glover issues a 10-33, the call of last resort. Crazed rioters hound the police even as they retreat to the upper level. Police now begin to guard this doorway, an iconic centerpiece of presidential inaugurations. But for another two hours, the same pattern will repeat. Rioters fill the terrace. Instigators trigger a frenzy. And tragically, someone will die. A brutal fight erupts in the doorway. The mob heaves in a coordinated scrum. [screaming] “Help!” When police finally push them out, they face even worse violence. They are tased, gassed and robbed of their equipment. They’re beaten with a crutch, a hockey stick and even an American flag. At least four officers are pulled into the crowd. One dragged by his own helmet, face down. And again, the frenzy turns fatal. Rosanne Boyland, a Trump supporter who has been swept up by QAnon conspiracies, is moving toward the door. But amid the scrum, she collapses and is lying unconscious beneath the mob. [crowd chants] “I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!” As the crowd sarcastically chants a Black Lives Matter slogan, Boyland’s friend, Justin Winchell, tries to pull her to safety. He screams for help. But instead, fellow rioters trample over Boyland and charge at the police again. Boyland will be pronounced dead at a local hospital in the evening. By the end of the day, rioters have breached and entered the building in at least eight locations. There’s the first breach, which we’ve seen, when rioters smashed through two windows and a door. Beside that, a rioter with a crowbar smashes in a second door, and then opens it to hundreds of people. Others smash a window next to the Inauguration door and climb inside. “Patriots, we need people to stand up for our country and our Constitution.” At this entrance, police stand aside and allow rioters to stream in, unchallenged. On the north side of the building, police in riot gear yield and let the crowd in. Another three breaches are on the east side, two by the central doors into the Rotunda, and this southeast door leading to the House chamber. It’s the arrival of more Metropolitan Police and other agencies that finally turns the tide. When those officers enter the Rotunda, they clear it in just 20 minutes. As the mob is pushed back through the east doors, their rage turns to Mike Pence, who Trump attacked earlier. Metro officers also stop other rioters from entering on the west side, where the mob first broke in. But here, too, we see a crowd empowered by the belief that they’re carrying out some patriotic duty. Over the course of the day, 150 police officers are injured. After 4 p.m., Metro and Capitol Police regain control of the upper levels. The final parts of the interior are cleared by other law enforcement, including federal agencies. Tear gas and flash bangs disperse the crowd on the Inauguration terrace. The Virginia State Police and Arlington County Police help to reclaim that area. Then rioters are swiftly pushed off Capitol grounds by a reinforced police line. Only now, more than three hours after Capitol police first called them, do National Guard soldiers arrive. “You can diffuse and turn down, right now.” Troops were staging just 20 minutes away. But a recent procedural change meant the highest level of the Pentagon had to approve deployment. And Pentagon officials delayed the decision, partially in fear of bad optics, even as the Capitol was being overrun. As calm returns, the president tweets again. He repeats that the election had been stripped away, calls his supporters great patriots, and says: The aftermath of Jan. 6 has been as divisive as the lie that launched it. Even as one arm of government has indicted hundreds of rioters, Republican lawmakers continue efforts to normalize what happened with a mix of denials and conspiracy theories. “Some of the people who breached the Capitol today were not Trump supporters.” “I knew those are people that love this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break a law. And so I wasn’t concerned.” They include Paul Gosar, who’d been at the Trump rally. “The D.O.J. is harassing peaceful patriots across the country.” And Andrew Clyde, who we saw earlier, standing just a few feet from rioters. “There was no insurrection. And to call it an insurrection, in my opinion, is a bald-faced lie.” Republican leaders have blocked an independent investigation that could have brought new details to light. “I’ve made the decision to oppose the House Democrats’ slanted and unbalanced proposal for another commission to study the events of January the 6th.” And in May, a top Republican was ousted from the party’s leadership after blaming Trump for inspiring the riot. “And I think that the party is in a place that we’ve got to bring it back from.” None of what happened on Jan. 6 would have been possible without a huge mass of ordinary people who were proud of what they achieved. “We made it!” “Yeah! We stopped the vote!” Millions around the country still believe the violence was not only justified, but necessary. And the forces that brought them there have not gone away. “Yeah, the patriots are coming back, y’all. Hopefully, y’all will be on our side when that happens.”
“Day of Rage,” a six-month investigation published last year by The New York Times that analyzed thousands of videos filmed at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, serves as a useful primer for the ongoing congressional hearings.
Reporters on the Visual Investigations team synchronized and mapped hours of footage and audio from police radios to understand, in minute detail, how a presidential rally turned into a vicious assault on the Capitol.
The hearing has resumed after a brief recess. Representative Pete Aguilar is discussing how the White House had sufficient warning to stop a march to the Capitol.
The testimony outlined just now raises further questions about Capitol security on Jan. 6, and how and whether these threats tracked by Secret Service were shared with officials on Capitol Hill.
The committee is taking a short recess.
On a web page shared with Mark Meadows on Dec. 30, 2020, hundreds of comments reveal the vitriol of Trump supporters.
“Gallows don’t require electricity,” one comment read. “Our ‘lawmakers’ in Congress can leave one of two ways: 1. in a bodybag. 2. after rightfully certifying Trump the winner,” another read.
Schiff seems to be accusing witnesses of perjury: “The Secret Service and other agencies knew of the prospect of violence well in advance of the president’s speech at the Ellipse. Despite this, certain White House and Secret Service witnesses previously testified that they had received no intelligence about violence that could potentially threaten any of the protectees on Jan. 6, including the vice president. Evidence strongly suggests that this testimony is not credible.”
In an effort to downplay the severity of the attack on the Capitol, some elected Republicans have insisted that the rioters that day weren’t armed. These texts and emails sent by Secret Service agents show that they in fact arrested several Trump supporters in Washington that day carrying assault rifles and pistols.
Representative Adam B. Schiff is going through some highlights of the documents the committee recently obtained from the Secret Service. He’s citing excerpts from agents noting the oddity of large numbers of protesters choosing not to come through the security perimeter to hear Trump’s speech and discussing weapons among the crowd.
Murphy goes through the pressure Trump brought to bear on Pence to illegally overturn the election results, and then segues to the turn to mob violence: “In the end, all of these people — Department of Justice officials, state elections officials, his own vice president — stood strong in the face of President Trump’s immense pressure. But as we now know, President Trump had already summoned tens of thousands of his supporters on Jan. 6 to ‘take back’ their country.”
transcript
WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 —> 00:00:02.130 “The fake electors plan was also tied 00:00:02.130 —> 00:00:05.280 to another plan, the coercive pressure campaign 00:00:05.280 —> 00:00:08.520 to make Vice President Mike Pence reject or refuse 00:00:08.520 —> 00:00:11.400 to count certain Biden electoral votes so 00:00:11.400 —> 00:00:14.550 that President Donald Trump would, quote, 00:00:14.550 —> 00:00:16.680 ‘win re-election instead.’ 00:00:16.680 —> 00:00:18.290 Here is what Vice President Pence 00:00:18.290 —> 00:00:20.305 has said about this scheme.” 00:00:22.330 —> 00:00:23.890 “President Trump said I had the right 00:00:23.890 —> 00:00:30.610 to overturn the election, but President Trump is wrong. 00:00:30.610 —> 00:00:33.330 I had no right to overturn the election. 00:00:33.330 —> 00:00:36.220 The presidency belongs to the American people 00:00:36.220 —> 00:00:38.590 and the American people alone. 00:00:38.590 —> 00:00:41.770 And frankly, there is no idea more un-American 00:00:41.770 —> 00:00:44.410 than the notion that any one person could choose 00:00:44.410 —> 00:00:47.030 the American president.” 00:00:47.030 —> 00:00:49.700 “Make no mistake, President Trump 00:00:49.700 —> 00:00:52.570 knew that what he was demanding Vice President Pence 00:00:52.570 —> 00:00:54.620 do was illegal. 00:00:54.620 —> 00:00:57.680 He was informed of this repeatedly and specifically 00:00:57.680 —> 00:00:59.050 on Jan. 4. 00:00:59.050 —> 00:01:00.050 A federal judge 00:01:00.050 —> 00:01:02.570 concluded, based on this and other evidence, 00:01:02.570 —> 00:01:04.519 that President Trump’s pressure campaign 00:01:04.519 —> 00:01:06.830 against the vice president likely violated 00:01:06.830 —> 00:01:08.900 multiple criminal statutes. 00:01:08.900 —> 00:01:11.810 In the end, all these people, department 00:01:11.810 —> 00:01:15.110 of Justice officials, state elections officials, 00:01:15.110 —> 00:01:17.990 his own vice president, stood strong 00:01:17.990 —> 00:01:21.050 in the face of President Trump’s immense pressure. 00:01:21.050 —> 00:01:23.180 But as we now know, President Trump 00:01:23.180 —> 00:01:25.970 had already summoned tens of thousands of his supporters 00:01:25.970 —> 00:01:31.090 to Washington on Jan. 6 to ‘take back their country.’”
The committee has been assiduously trying to show that Trump was the center of a wheel with a lot of spokes, each one a different avenue he was using to try to stay in power. But they’re demonstrating that he was the common thread through it all in terms of what he knew.
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol plans to issue a subpoena to former President Donald J. Trump to question him about his role in events that led to the violence that consumed Congress, according to people familiar with its work, a remarkable escalation as the panel begins wrapping up its inquiry.
Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the chairman of the committee, foreshadowed the move at the beginning of its hearing on Thursday, saying the panel could vote on “further investigative action” — a step the committee has not taken at any previous hearing.
The hearing so far represents a greatest hits of the testimony. They’re replaying, among other things, Ivanka Trump’s adviser recalling the president’s daughter saying that the president called Mike Pence a vulgarity when he refused to go along with Trump’s scheme.
Former President Donald J. Trump was advised by Tom Fitton, the leader of the conservative group Judicial Watch, to declare victory in the presidential election strictly on the basis of votes cast on Election Day, as opposed to those submitted earlier, the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol revealed on Thursday.
The information emerged during the latest public hearing held by the committee, as part of an effort to show that Mr. Trump had what Representative Zoe Lofgren called a “premeditated” plan, formed before Election Day, to declare lawfully cast absentee and mail-in votes as illegitimate.
Danish filmmakers have turned over a trove of evidence to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, including footage of the political operative Roger J. Stone Jr. texting with a lawyer who represented President Donald J. Trump in his second impeachment trial, seeking a pardon.
The footage also shows Mr. Stone threatening violence and spelling out plans to fight the election results. Some of the material was expected to be featured in the panel’s hearing.
Thursday’s hearing is something of a last stand in Congress for Republican Representatives Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.
Ms. Cheney and Mr. Kinzinger broke sharply with their party after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol and emerged as the most prominent Republicans condemning former President Donald J. Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, pinning responsibility on him for the violence and pressing the case that the party must abandon him.
As rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Derrick Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL, had a front-row seat to the mayhem, perching on the grounds beside a tall, intricately carved, sandstone lantern pier.
J.R. Majewski, an Air Force veteran from Ohio, was also at the Capitol that day, alongside a live-streamer who frequently elevates the QAnon conspiracy theory. So was Sandy Smith, a self-described entrepreneur and farmer from North Carolina who attended former President Donald J. Trump’s speech at the Ellipse and then marched up Capitol Hill.
Even as the Jan. 6 House committee adds to its series of public hearings on Thursday, the Justice Department has been conducting a separate — and equally sprawling — investigation into the rioters who stormed the Capitol and the various roles that officials in the Trump administration played in attempting to overturn the 2020 election.
So far, nearly 900 people have been charged with taking part in the Capitol attack, and arrests continue almost daily. Prosecutors have said that as many as 2,000 rioters who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6 could face criminal charges.“
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