Key Takeaways from Seventh January 6th Committee Public Hearing
White House Counsel, Pat Cipollone, testified that he advised Trump to concede the 2020 election after every court ruled against his claims of election fraud, including the judges that Trump himself appointed.
Convicted January 6th rioter, Steven Ayres, testified the only reason he went to the Capitol was because Trump asked him to. Because of the charges, he lost his job and house.
Former Oath Keepers spokesperson testified that the militia group was ready to kill to keep Trump in office.
The House Select Committee on January 6th held its seventh public hearing on Tuesday, July 12th to highlight the connection between militia groups and former President Donald Trump.
The Committee showed testimony from former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and interviewed witnesses, Steven Ayres, a January 6th rioter and former Trump supporter, and Jason Van Tatonhove, the former spokesman for the Oath Keepers.
Top Moments:
Pat Cipollone, former White House counsel, testified that he accepted that Trump lost the election and recommended Trump concede. Most other top advisors agreed with Cipollone, including Jared Kuschner, Ivanka Trump, Kayleigh McEnany, and Eric Herschmann.
White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, knew in advance that the Oath Keepers were ready to use lethal force against anyone who tried to remove Trump from office.
Katrina Pierson, White House spokesperson, texted Meadows on January 2nd about the upcoming rally, telling him that "things have gotten crazy."
Former spokesperson for the Oath Keepers, Jason Van Tatonhove, testified, “They might not like to call themselves that, but they are. [The Oath Keepers] are a violent militia.”
Tatonhove said he noticed the group getting more radical over time, drifting "further and further right — into the alt-right world, into White nationalists and even straight-up racists and it came to a point where I could no longer continue to work for them."
"I think we've gotten exceedingly lucky that more bloodshed did not happen because the potential's been there from the start," he said. "And we got very lucky that the loss of life was, and as tragic as it is, that we saw on Jan. 6, the potential was so much more," noting "the iconic images of that day with the gallows setup for Mike Pence."
Donald Trump’s use of social media incited violence and rioting by his supporters, which included national militia groups.
Far-right extremists became laser focused on January 6th after Trump tweeted on December 19th about a “wild” protest on January 6th.
January 6th rioter, Steven Ayers, testified that he only went to the Capitol after Stop the Steal Rally because Donald Trump asked his supporters to.
Ayres told the committee that after illegally entering the Capitol he decided to leave "basically when President Trump put his tweet out" asking his supporters to go home.
Former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale texted Trump spokesperson Katrina Pierson on Jan. 6, 2021, that the former president was "asking for civil war," according to text messages obtained by the Jan. 6 committee.
The Committee is scheduled to have more hearings in July. Find the latest news and read about the planning for January 6th.