According to Thompson, there must be accountability for what he called an attack on democracy. “Over the past month and a half, the committee has told a story about a president who went out of his way to undo an election,” Thompson said. “He lied, he bullied, he betrayed his oath. He tried to destroy our democratic institutions.” The chairman, who spoke via video link due to a corona infection, emphasized that “accountability must be made, all the way to the Oval Office.”
The committee, made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans, is holding its eighth public hearing on the attack on the Capitol. The meeting discusses almost minute by minute what Trump did and failed to do when his supporters stormed the Capitol. Republican committee member Adam Kinzinger said the president was pleased with the violence.
“The crowd reached President Trump’s goal, so of course he didn’t step in” to stop the violence until more than three hours after it started, Kinzinger said. “President Trump failed to act during the 187 minutes between leaving Ellipse (park where he gave a speech) and telling the crowd to go home, but chose not to intervene.”
Television
Senior officials, including then-White House attorney Pat Cipollone, testified on pre-recorded video footage that the president watched hours of television in the White House dining room during the riots. They said they were unaware that Trump was making calls to cabinet members, including defense, interior and justice ministers, or the National Guard who could have all stopped the violence.
Guards of then Vice President Mike Pence feared for their lives on January 6, 2021, it became clear during the session. Secret service bodyguards asked to be radioed that they were saying goodbye to their families, an unrecognizable security official reported.
Previously, audio recordings were played of radio messages saying that the security personnel were looking for a safe escape route for Pence and eventually found it. The then vice president was in the Capitol to formally declare Joe Biden’s election victory with Congress when the building was stormed.
New hearings will be held in September as new evidence and witnesses continue to pour in, Vice President Liz Cheney said at the start of the meeting. “Doors have been opened, new subpoenas have been issued and the dam is starting to break,” said the Republican politician.