When a House committee announced on Jan. 6 that its next hearing would provide a minute-by-minute account of what Donald Trump was doing during his 187 minutes of inactivity during the riot, it felt like the premise of a bad action movie. What we got was definitely a thriller, but absolutely infuriating. The hearing produced such a damning indictment of the former president’s breach of duty to the Constitution and the nation that only those drunk with MAGA Kool-Aid could ignore its conclusions.
that’s 9I A weekly release of the series and a prime-time audition in late summer were required to deliver the goods, and this was done in abundance. Like its predecessors, it not only provided new information with devastating effects; It also made us re-evaluate what we already knew. It’s no secret that Trump spent those 187 minutes while the Capitol burned. But, as the night made painfully clear, it’s not just that he did nothing to quell the violence. With his silence and his incendiary tweets, he fueled even more.
“President Trump did not act, he chose not to act,” said Representative Adam Kinzinger, who chaired the evening with Representative Elaine Luria. The fact that they both serve in the military, as did former deputy national security adviser Matthew Pottinger, one of two living witnesses to testify, only underscored the sense of patriotism that fueled the investigation into how close our democracy came to collapse. .
It turns out that Trump spent most of his time in his private dining room, watching television (only Fox News, of course). He also made a lot of phone calls, although we don’t know exactly to whom, as the White House address book and call log were strangely empty at that hour. Trump appears to be the only president in history dependent on burning phones. He did not attempt any military or police response to repel the murderous insurgents. But apparently he has contacted the senators to postpone the vote count and let Rudy Giuliani do what Rudy Giuliani does.
The committee heard testimony from Pottinger and former White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews, who preserved her dignity and reputation by choosing to resign after January 6. Showing respect for the rule of law, Matthews, a longtime Republican, expressed moral outrage at Trump’s refusal to fire his abusive servants.
As they have repeatedly done, the committee happily used the words of Trump’s Republican supporters against him. Numerous video and audio clips vividly recalled the initial condemnation of Trump’s actions by the likes of Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy, who have since expressed support for the former president should he run again. The most delicious moment was a photo of Josh Hawley delivering his infamous punch supporting protesters behind a security barricade, followed by images of him freaking out as they stormed the Capitol. Just to be clear, the footage was played in slow motion and we hope to be available as a screensaver soon.
It turns out that Hawley wasn’t the only one who feared for his life. Even the Secret Service agents protecting Pence were starting to panic when horrific snippets of their radio traffic became apparent. As the rebels closed in on the vice president, some called family members and sent farewell messages even as Trump tweeted attacks on Pence. “He put a target on his own vice president’s back,” noted Lura, while Matthews sneered at Trump’s “pouring gasoline on the fire.”
As Trump sat in his dining room, everyone in his orbit begged him to do something. any, that his sane followers arose. This included his aides, advisers, Republican congressmen, his children and, in a rare moment of clarity, Fox News personalities. Don Jr. sent a message to Mark Meadows that his father’s legacy would be destroyed unless Meadows convinced him to do something. “That’s why you’re walking on the mattress,” he yelled, perhaps worst of all. Godfather Always suggestion.
In pre-recorded testimony, Pat Cipollone said he also tried to get Trump to do something, but to no avail. During cross-examination, the former White House aide periodically glanced at his own attorney, who reminded him not to answer some questions out of executive privilege. But hey, at least Cipollone didn’t finish fifth.
It is not fair to say that Trump has done nothing in all this time. he tweeted. Perhaps realizing that his followers are short on attention spans, he kindly posted a link to a video of an incendiary speech he gave recently at Ellipse Rally.
Finally, Trump delivered his infamous Rose Garden speech, in which he ignored carefully prepared comments for him and instead blew wet kisses to the gardeners. After asking them to go home, he added, “We love you, you’re so special.” His last tweet of the day reminded them to “remember this day forever”, as if they had just attended his graduation party instead of trying to overthrow democracy.
There were also raw footage of Trump trying to make a January 7 video condemning the protesters’ actions. Not since Albert Brooks arrived broadcast news Someone struggled unsuccessfully to capture him. “I don’t want to say the election is over,” he told aides as he made a series of brief remarks, ending with a sob: “My only objective was to ensure the integrity of the vote.”
Late in the night, Pottinger further criticized Trump’s actions, comparing him to infamous losers like Al Gore and Richard Nixon in the 1960 election. (You know how far we’ve sunk when Richard Nixon is cited as a moral paragon.) argued . strongly that the events of January 6 “emboldened our enemies” and that our national security was weakened as a result. There were also audio footage of Steve Bannon, recorded days before January 6, detailing Trump’s strategy to nullify the election as an over-explained Bond villain.
As always, Liz Cheney was a force of nature during the process, and I say this as someone who can’t wait to see Liz Cheney at odds again. His damn final summary, in which he condemned Trump for abusing his supporters’ trust by “taking advantage of their patriotism”, prompted Perry Mason to surrender. Trump claims he doesn’t see wiretaps, but we all know he does. And there’s no doubt his final words, “See you in September,” sent shivers down her spine.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
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