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Former President Donald Trump allegedly told staff members that ex-Vice President Mike Pence should be hanged for certifying the votes that declared Joe Biden the winner in the 2020 elections.
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., on Thursday said Trump endorsed the calls of his supporters to “Hang Mike Pence” while speaking to his advisors during the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“You will hear that President Trump was yelling and ‘really angry’ at advisers who told him he needed to be doing something more,” Cheney said. “And — aware of the rioters’ chants to hang Mike Pence — the president responded with this sentiment quote: ‘Maybe our supporters have the right idea.’ Mike Pence quote ‘deserves it.’”
Cheney also claimed that Trump oversaw and coordinated a seven-part scheme over multiple months. The scheme aimed to overturn the results of the election and prevent the transfer of presidential power.
“On the morning of January 6, President Donald Trump’s intention was to remain the president of the United States, despite the lawful outcome of the 2020 election. And in violation of his constitutional obligation to relinquish power,” the Republican lawmaker added.
Cheney made the claim during her opening statement at the House Select Committee’s first primetime hearing. The Wyoming Republican is the vice-chair of the committee, which is tasked with investigating the events that led to the deadly riot.
The panel began sharing the findings of its nearly year-long investigation into the Capitol riot Thursday night. During the hearing, Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., also presented a video clip from former Attorney General Bill Barr’s deposition wherein he testified that he objected to Trump’s insistence that he won the presidency in 2020 and that the election was stolen from him.
“I made it clear I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out this stuff, which I told the president was bullsh*t,” Barr said.
The House Select Committee is expected to reveal more findings throughout the month. The panel has scheduled more hearings to take place on June 13 and 15 at 10 a.m. ET and June 16 at 1 p.m. ET.
Former US president Donald Trump, pictured speaking to supporters on January 6, 2021 before the violence broke out, is seen by congressional investigators as an ongoing threat to democracy
Photo: AFP / Brendan Smialowski
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