The Jan. 6 hearing and the ‘big lie’

The second day of the Jan. 6 House committee hearings presented evidence that former President Trump was repeatedly told by campaign staff, White House counsel and his attorney general Bill Barr that Joe Biden’s victory was legitimate and there was no election fraud. But Trump chose to deliberately spread false claims that the election was stolen in an effort to overturn the results. The committee also showed that these false claims were used as a fundraising tactic which successful funneled hundreds of millions of dollars for the Trump campaign.

The committee showed video testimony from Trump aides and lawyers and from witnesses who testified in-person at the hearing that Trump’s election fraud charges were repeatedly disproven. Among them was former Philadelphia City Commissioner, AL SCHMIDT, who joins us today to talk about the dangerous election lie that Trump created and spread. We’re also joined by New York Times congressional reporter, LUKE BROADWATER, who has been following the Jan. 6 committee investigation.

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Philadelphia Inquirer – Former Philly elections official Al Schmidt tells Jan. 6 panel that Trump tweet led to ‘graphic’ threats –  Schmidt’s testimony during the committee’s second public hearing came as members sought to demonstrate Trump’s power to incite supporters to violence through his Twitter account.

The New York Times, Trump’s inner circle pushed back as he claimed the election was stolen. Here are the latest developments.– “He’s become detached from reality if he really believes this stuff,” William P. Barr, the former attorney general, told the panel, adding, “There was never an indication of interest in what the actual facts were.”