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The original text of former President Donald Trump’s speech the day after the attack on the Capitol contained strong statements directing the Department of Justice to “ensure that all lawbreakers are investigated with the full force of the law” and contained phrases such as , the attackers “do not represent me”.
But these words were crossed out with a thick black line, apparently by former President Trump himself, it was learned by the investigators of the special committee of the House of Representatives.
Democratic lawmaker Elaine Luria, who is a member of the investigative committee, tweeted a short video on Monday that included testimony from White House aides discussing former President Trump’s Jan. 7 speech, as well as a photo of the manuscript. with notes and with parts that were marked for deletion. In one of the videos, the former president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, confirmed to the committee that the document “looks like a handwritten copy of that day’s speech” and that the writing “looks like my father’s handwriting.”
When the commission asked White House aide Jared Kushner, also Ivanka Trump’s husband, why former President Trump put a visa on certain lines, he answered twice: “I don’t know.”
The commission released the 3:40-minute video as a follow-up to the last hearing of the summer, in which investigators showed portions of the former president’s speech preparation. In the footage, former President Trump appears agitated and discusses the words with staff in attendance, including his daughter Ivanka. At one point, he tells them that “I don’t want to say that the elections are over”, and slams his fist.
The commission is making public the new materials as part of further data mining, after eight hearings over the summer presented findings from more than 1,000 interviews during the year-long investigation. Members of the commission say investigations are ongoing and they will hold further hearings in the fall.
They are intended to convey a consistent message about former President Trump and his actions before, during and after the uprising — that he repeatedly lied about extensive election manipulation, even acting against the advice of his closest aides, and that thus causing the violent actions of his supporters. And that when the rioters entered the Capitol, he did nothing to stop them.
In her message Monday, Legislator Luria said, “It took more than 24 hours for President Trump to address the nation again after his January 6 Rose Garden video, in which he warmly said his followers to go home in peace. There were other things he didn’t want to say.”
The Jan. 7 speech was seen by his aides as an effort to make up for his inaction the day before, when he waited hours to tell rioters to leave the Capitol — and when he did, in a video filmed in the Rose Garden, he told rioters that they were “very special”. In the video released by Legislator Luria, former President Trump’s aide Jared Kushner says he had been talking to other aides and that they were trying to prepare the president’s speech. “We felt it was important to make further calls for de-escalation,” Mr. Kushner said during committee testimony.
It is unclear who wrote the original text in the document.
In the line in the initial text “I am outraged and revolted by violence, lawlessness and chaos” the word “revolted” is underlined. Likewise, the following lines have been underlined, “I want to be very clear that you do not represent me. You do not represent our movement”. However, he left the phrase, “You do not represent our country.” The line “you belong in prison” was replaced with “you will pay”.
The following lines were also deleted: “I direct the Department of Justice to ensure that all violators of the law are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We need to send a clear message – not with mercy, but with JUSTICE. The legal consequences must be swift and decisive.”
During her testimony, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson — who appeared in person at a surprise hearing last month — said the effort to get former President Trump to speak again on Jan. 7 was partly due to of “grave concern” within the White House that some of his cabinet officials might try to activate the constitutional process based on the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution to remove him from office.
The newly released video includes testimony from John McEntee, then the White House chief of staff and one of former President Trump’s closest aides. Mr. McEntee says that Mr. Kushner asked him to “speed up” the process and make sure that former President Trump delivered the speech. Mr. McEntee confirmed that former President Trump had no desire to deliver the speech.
Pat Cipollone, the White House’s chief legal adviser, also testified that he believed former President Trump should have clearly spelled out the consequences for rioters.
“In my opinion, he should have stated very clearly” that the participants in the riots “should be prosecuted and should be arrested”.Voice of America
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