The House Jan. 6 committee's second prime-time hearing focused on what it said was then-President Donald Trump's "187 minutes" of inaction -- from the time he left the rally at the Ellipse, to then watching the attack on the U.S. Capitol on TV at the White House until he finally called on his violent supporters to go home.
Kushner testifies that a 'scared' Kevin McCarthy asked for help during riot
Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and White House adviser, told the committee in taped deposition that House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy wanted help to stop the violence as rioters breached the U.S. Capitol building.
Kushner said McCarthy told him it was "getting really ugly."
"He was scared, yes," Kushner said of McCarthy's state of mind during their call.
The committee also discussed a tense phone call between Trump and McCarthy where Trump alleged it was Antifa at the Capitol -- an allegation that's been debunked by FBI Director Chris Wray and other intelligence officials. McCarthy told Trump it was "your people" and told him to call them off.
Jul 21, 2022, 9:40 PM EDT
Donald Trump Jr. texted that his father needed to 'condemn' riot
Text messages displayed by the committee show Donald Trump Jr. thought more needed to be done by his father besides his two tweets calling on rioters to "stay peaceful" even though violence had already begun.
Trump Jr. texted chief of staff Mark Meadows the message: "He's got to condemn this shit. Asap. The capitol police tweet isn't enough."
When Meadows responded that he was pushing hard for Trump to do so, Trump Jr. told him: "go to the mattresses." "They will try to f*** his entire legacy on this if it gets worse," Trump Jr. added.
An image of Donald Trump Jr is displayed on a screen during a hearing by the House Select Committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the US Capitol in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C., on July 21, 2022.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Fox News personality Sean Hannity also texted Meadows to get Trump to instruct the mob to peacefully leave.
Text messages to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows from Laura Ingraham, Mick Mulvaney and Brian Kilmeade are displayed during the hearing of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, July 21, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Patrick Semansky/AP
Sarah Matthews, the former deputy press secretary, testified White House staff had to ask several times for the president to include the word "peaceful" in his tweet on Jan. 6. She said it wasn't until Ivanka Trump said "stay peaceful" that he decided to include it.
Jul 21, 2022, 9:22 PM EDT
Witnesses react to Trump 'courage' tweet on Pence: 'Fuel being poured on the fire'
The House select committee highlighted strong reaction to a tweet by former President Trump about his vice president amid the riot.
"Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!" the tweet, posted at 2:24 p.m. on Jan. 6, stated.
"He put a target on his own vice president's back," Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., said after sharing the message.
A tweet from former US President Donald Trump is displayed on a screen during a hearing by the House Select Committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the US Capitol in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C., on July 21, 2022.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Witness Matthew Pottinger, a deputy national security adviser, said it was in that moment that he decided to resign.
"It looked like fuel being poured on the fire," he told the committee. "I did not want to be associated with the events that were unfolding on the Capitol."
Witness and ex-staffer Sarah Matthews, who served as deputy press secretary, said she thought the tweet "was the last thing that was needed in that moment" from Trump.
"He should have been telling these people to go home, and to leave, and to condemn the violence that we were seeing," she said. "For him to tweet out the message about Mike Pence, it was him pouring gasoline on the fire, and making it much worse."
Jul 21, 2022, 9:32 PM EDT
Committee shows Hawley's raised fist, then video of him fleeing
In a moment that's resonated from Thursday's hearing, the committee shared a photo of Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley walking across the Capitol before protesters who had started to gather at the security gates.
Sen. Josh Hawley gestures toward a crowd of supporters of President Donald Trump gathered outside the U.S. Capitol to protest the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's electoral college victory Jan. 6, 2021.
Politico via AP, FILE
"As you can see in this photo, he raised his fist, in solidarity, with the protesters," Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., said.
Luria said a Capitol police told the committee that the gesture "riled up the crowd."
"It bothered her greatly because he was doing it in a safe space, protected by the officers and the barriers," Luria said.
The committee then showed footage of Hawley, who had voted against certifying the results of the election, later fleeing "after those protesters he helped to rile up stormed the Capitol," Luria said.
