Jan 6 Hearings: Key Takeaways From Day 7

The seventh hearing of the Jan. 6 committee was dominated by former President Donald Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

On Tuesday, the committee held its seventh hearing in which it tried to tie Trump to the most violent extremists leading the Jan. 6 riot. They pressed their argument that Trump knew what he was doing and should be held responsible, reported The Washington Post.

Here are some takeaways from the latest Jan. 6 hearing:

Committee talks about Trump's "call to arms" tweet

The Jan. 6 panel highlighted a Dec. 2020 tweet by Trump which they said was a galvanizing call-to-arms that motivated his followers to head to Washington and disrupt the transition of power after the 2020 U.S. Presidential election. CNN reported that the tweet claimed that it was "statistically impossible to have lost the 2020 Election." It said that there would be a "Big protest in D.C. on Jan. 6th."

Florida Democrat Stephanie Murphy, who led part of the Tuesday hearing, said that the post was "a call to action." She cited comments from many of far-right extremists and the rioters, who said that they were inspired by the tweet.

Details about the planning behind Trump's "unexpected" call to head to the US Capitol revealed

The panel showed a draft tweet calling for marching to the Capitol. It was not sent by Trump. The draft tweet said that Trump would be making a big speech at 10 a.m. on Jan. 6 at the Ellipse, and asked people to "arrive early, massive crowds expected. March to the Capitol after. Stop the Steal!" The tweet included a stamp saying that Trump had seen it.

Grand Old Party lawmakers' role in Trump's 2020 election scheme featured

The hearing focused on the role that Republican members of Congress played in helping Trump's efforts to try to overturn the 2020 Presidential election. The panel’s presentation pointed to a Dec. 21, 2020, meeting where Trump met with Republican members. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss efforts to object to the election in Congress on Jan. 6.

Pat Cipollone's interview played a key role in Jan. 6 hearing

The latest hearing was the committee's first chance to show videos from former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone. He was interviewed by the panel in a video deposition on Friday. The panel played 14 clips from Cipollone's interview. Cipollone said in the clips that he was told by then-chief of staff Mark Meadows that in November 2020, Trump would ultimately agree to make a graceful departure. He said that he believed Trump should concede.

Trump apparently tried to contact Jan. 6 committee witness

Trump tried to contact one of the committee's witnesses, said Vice Chair Liz Cheney, one of two Republicans on the panel. She said that the incident has been referred to the Justice Department, reported Al Jazeera. She shared that the person declined to answer or respond to Trump’s call.