Capitol riots: What are the six key findings against Trump? – BBC News Chinese

On Monday (December 19), a group of seven Democrats and two Republicans recommended that the Justice Department investigate Trump, who is planning a new White House campaign, on charges of aiding insurrection, as well as three other federal crimes.

Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the committee’s Democratic chairman, wrote in a foreword to the eight-chapter report that it was “inconceivable in the past that a U.S. president would incite a mob to march on the Capitol.” “.

Here are the six main findings released late Thursday (22nd):

The committee said Trump’s decision to falsely declare victory on election night in 2020 was “premeditated,” an action supported only by his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. The former president quickly began making baseless claims of massive election fraud, and he continued to do so more frequently after Biden was elected.

The committee noted that it had interviewed several advisers and lawyers close to Trump who said they did not believe the fraud allegations and found no evidence of them.

Most notably was former Attorney General William Barr, who told the committee in testimony: “I made it clear that I don’t subscribe to the idea that elections were stolen, and I told the president that was (expletive).”

The president continued to spread election conspiracy theories in the coming weeks. Senior Trump administration officials have testified that they have told Trump the claims are not true.

The committee believes the attack on the Capitol was sparked by Trump himself.

In addition to Trump’s repeated claims of fraud, the committee also pointed to a Dec. 19, 2020, tweet in which Trump wrote: “Massive protest in Washington Jan. 6. Come on, get crazy! “

Mob and militia members at the Capitol that day cited Trump’s tweets as a reason for their visit to Washington in testimony and court documents. The committee cited the example of Robert Morss, among others, who was found guilty of assaulting police officers during a raid on the Capitol. Morse “believed Jan. 6 was the ‘1776 restart’ moment when President Trump asked them to ‘Come on, get crazy,'” the report said.

The committee also cited a warning from the Secret Service that someone planned to come to Washington on Jan. 6 and threatened to “go crazy.”

Trump took no action when the attacks began on Jan. 6 and he ignored warnings from Congress that serious attacks were underway, the committee said.

Some of the committee’s conclusions are based on the testimony of former White House staffer Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified in a relatively dramatic hearing earlier this year about the chaos she said she witnessed at the White House .

Before Hutchinson testified before the committee, a former White House ethics lawyer tried to coach her, according to transcripts of her testimony released Thursday: “The less you remember, the better.”

The committee also cited correspondence between lawmakers trapped in the Capitol and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who received requests from members of Congress forced to hide at a time when they were increasingly feeling despair.

A text message from one of Trump’s most loyal aides, Hope Hicks, summed up the White House staff’s frustration.

“We all look like homegrown terrorists now,” Hicks texted Ivanka Trump’s chief of staff, Julie Radford, after the unrest broke out.

She also texted a White House lawyer saying: “I’m so sad. Everything we fought for is gone.”

Intelligence began to emerge in December 2020 about armed groups targeting Washington and even the Capitol. The FBI received information from the far-right groups Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, the report said.

“There’s only one way. It’s not a signal. It’s not a rally. It’s a (expletive) bullet.”

Capitol Police and Secret Service agents tasked with protecting the president have received similar messages from insiders and others. Some singled out the Capitol as a focal point for potential violence.

Some of those conversations came from private encrypted chat apps, but there were also messages that were publicly viewable on pro-Trump websites and Twitter.

On January 6, members of far-right groups appeared in the crowd inside the Capitol.

Along with the report, the committee released dozens of transcripts of raw testimony from witnesses in closed-door meetings. Several of Trump’s biggest supporters in far-right fringe circles — such as Alex Jones and white nationalist Nick Fuentes — declined to answer questions, citing The Constitution gives them the right to avoid self-incrimination.

But the testimony of others, including “Oath Keepers” founder Stewart Rhodes and “Proud Boys” leader Enrique Tarrio — said the far right was involved in the riots. There is mutual suspicion, infighting, and conspiracy ideas between factions.

Rhodes was found guilty last month of sedition conspiracy and other charges and could face decades in prison; Tarrio is currently on trial.

Part of Trump’s plan to stay in office revolves around a controversial reading of the U.S. Constitution. He believes this allows Vice President Mike Pence, who will preside over the election certification, to declare him victorious.

According to reports, on January 6, Trump tried to call Pence and yelled at the aide to let him answer the phone. The former president then falsely told Pence he had the authority to interfere with the certification.

Witnesses told the committee that Trump at one point called the vice president a “coward” and said he was “not tough enough.”

Speaking to a crowd on Jan. 6, Trump said he hoped Pence would “do the right thing.” Later in the attack, mobs chanted “Hang Mike Pence” as they stormed the Capitol.

The team made 11 recommendations based on the findings.

One cites the U.S. Constitution, which states that those who take an oath to support the U.S. Constitution but who “engage in rebellion” or “provide aid or comfort to enemies of the Constitution” can be disqualified from public office.

Trump was turned over to the Justice Department for aiding or assisting the insurrection.