Top advisers to then-President Donald Trump told him that his claims of widespread voter fraud were not legitimate and would not reverse his election loss. This is evident from testimonies to the House of Representatives committee investigating the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The purpose of the storming at the time was to undo the election results, because they were said to be illegal.
Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was “stolen” by “Joe Biden and the Democrats” was bluntly dismissed as “bullshit” and “insane” by Trump’s former Attorney General William Barr. “If he really believes this, he’s detached from reality.”
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly stated that he did not lose the 2020 presidential election. He calls the investigation by the parliamentary committee, which is led by Democrats but also has Republican members, a “political witch hunt”.
Birth
Monday’s hearing was postponed by about 45 minutes after William Stepien, Trump’s campaign manager in the last few months of the election, withdrew at the last minute because his wife was about to give birth.
The committee instead broadcast video footage of Stepien’s testimony to investigators. Images were also shown of other close Trump associates, including his daughter Ivanka. They were asked to describe the events when Trump was told on election day that it was too early to declare victory.
Too early
Stepien advised Trump to say it was too early to claim the election win. Matthew Morgan, chief attorney for the Trump campaign, said fraud claims would not change the outcome of the election. In addition, such claims could prove illegal. The president didn’t want to hear about that, the witnesses said.
Monday’s session followed a Thursday evening hearing. It found that Trump’s closest allies, including even his daughter Ivanka, rejected his false claims of vote fraud. Nearly 20 million Americans watched the unusual hearing, which aired from 8 p.m., the time most people watch television.
Four people died in the storming of the Capitol; one was shot dead by the police, the others died of natural causes. About 140 police officers were injured and one died the next day. Four officers later committed suicide.