Trump Slams Jan 6 Hearings As ‘Kangaroo Court’, Issues 12-Page Statement

Former President Donald Trump slammed the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot as a "Kangaroo Court."

In a 12-page statement released through his Save America political action committee (PAC), Trump claimed that the House select committee had no "equal representation" of Republicans and Democrats, reported Business Insider. The Jan. 6 committee consists of two Republicans and seven Democrats. Last year, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pulled Republicans off the panel.

The step was taken after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, rejected two of his picks for the committee. The two picks were Trump allies -- Representatives Jim Banks and Jim Jordan. They had voted against certifying President Joe Biden's Electoral College win on the day of the riot.

In the statement, Trump said that the Jan. 6 "Unselect Committee is disgracing everything we hold sacred about our Constitution." He noted that if the panel had any "real evidence, they'd hold real hearings with equal representation." He stressed that the committee doesn't, so they "use the illegally-constituted committee to put on a smoke and mirrors show for the American people." He feels that it is done in a "pitiful last-ditch effort to deceive the American public ... again."

Almost nine pages of his statement was dedicated to push baseless conspiracy theories that the 2020 Presidential election was rigged. He said that his supporters went to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to hold "elected officials accountable for the obvious signs of criminal activity throughout the Election." He also claimed that the committee was trying to "stop a man that is leading in every poll, against both Republicans and Democrats by wide margins, from running again for the presidency." Citing inflation and rising gas prices, Trump, who has teased a 2024 Presidential run for months, accused the Democrats of "destroying" the US.

The statement came after the Jan. 6 committee held two public hearings accusing him of an attempted coup to remain in power, reported BBC.

However, the statement did not directly respond to the specifics laid out by the committee to the public, according to ABC News. The hearings included testimony from Trump's inner circle that he knew that he had lost the last presidential race. He had no legitimate reason to claim widespread fraud, but he chose to listen to lawyer Rudy Giuliani to falsely claim victory over Biden.