Jan. 6 hearing: Trump and the mob

The seventh Jan. 6 hearing alleged that in a last ditch effort to hold on to power, former President Trump summoned a mob of right-wing extremists.

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Proud Boys members Zachary Rehl and Ethan Nordean march toward the U.S. Capitol in Washington, ahead of the Jan. 6 insurrection

Proud Boys members Zachary Rehl and Ethan Nordean march toward the U.S. Capitol in Washington, ahead of the Jan. 6 insurrection. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

The link between Donald Trump and far-right militant groups that stormed the Capitol was the focus of yesterday’s Jan. 6 select committee hearing. The seventh hearing presented evidence that Trump, having lost all other avenues of refuting the election results – including a plot to seize voting machines—summoned a mob on Jan. 6 to help him stay in power.

The former president tweeted “Be there, will be wild!” on December 19th, 2020, to promote the Stop the Steal rally, which the committee alleged was a call to action and arms. Among those testifying Tuesday were a former Oath Keeper spokesman and a Capitol rioter.

The committee also presented recorded testimony from former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, Sidney Powell and other aides. This hour, we’ll discuss what we learned about Trump’s continuing efforts to retain power and his encouragement of extremist groups involved in the insurrection.

Guests

Hugo Lowell, congressional reporter covering the Jan. 6 hearings for The Guardian. @hugolowell

Andy Campbell, senior editor and reporter for Huffington Post and author of the forthcoming book, We Are Proud BoysHow a Right-Wing Street Gang Ushered in a New Era of American Extremism. @AndyBCampbell

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