Pouring it on to discredit former President Donald Trump as much as possible, the Jan. 6 House Select Committee wanted to show that the former president was reluctant to condemn Jan. 6 rioters, called “insurrectionists” by the Committee. Videotaped depositions of Trump’s senior advisers, including 41-year-old Jared Kushner, 40-year-old Invanka Trump and 56-year-old former White House Counsel Pat Cipllone offered by Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.,) spend time talking about Trump editing a speech to be delivered Jan. 7 condemning the lawbreakers. Luria wanted the public to see that Trump had trouble denouncing the Jan. 6 lawbreakers, nitpicking about language used to describe the Jan. 6 rioters. “We felt like it was important to further call for de-escalation,” Kushner said in his testimony. Jan. 6 Committee poured it on, wanting the public to see that Trump has no remorse.
Luria wanted the public to see that Trump did not heed the advice of senior advisers that wanted to show in the strongest possible terms that the former president condemned the lawbreakers. “H needed to express very clearly that the people who made the violent acts, went into the Capitol, did what they did, should be prosecuted and should be arrested, Cipollone said. “And that needs to be stated forcefully,” urging Trump to condemn the rabble-rousers in the strongest possible terms. Luria and other Jan. 6 committee members want to show that Trump had trouble denouncing the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters because he supported their violent acts. Trump worked on a Jan. 7 speech, titled, “Remarks on National Healing,” wanting to get the words right, edit out strong statement against the Capitol Hill protesters. Luria said Trump edited the word “sickened” to describe the rioters.
Luria showed that Trump crossed out a line that directed the Justice Department to prosecute lawbreakers. “I am directing the Department of Justice to ensure that all lawbreakers are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” read a section of the planned Jan. 7 speech edited out by Trump. “We must send a clear message—not with mercy but with JUSTICE. Legal consequences must be swift and firm,” read another line redacted by Trump. But instead of looking at the redactions as simply changes to an awkwardly written speech, Luria and her friends conclude that Trump couldn’t bring himself to condemn the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters. So when Luria points to the fact that Trump refused to condemn lawbreakers, she’s taking the worst possible inference from any changes Trump made. Reading the awkwardly written lines in the proposed Jan. 7 speech, it’s no wonder Trump insisted on changes.
Yet the mob scene in the Jan. 6 House Select Committee goes on, with members seeking anything that shows that Trump backed the criminal conduct of Jan. 6 lawbreakers. “If you broke the law, you belong in jail,” read Trump’s statement. “If you broke the law you will pay,” another approved line, showing that Trump played with the words necessary to convey the need for healing after the Jan. 6 riots. Trump crossed out lines from the expected speech. “I want to be very clear, you do not represent me,” another line crossed out by Trump. “You do not represent our movement,” also crossed out. But what does Luria want the public to know? She wants the public to conclude that Trump backed the lawbreakers and rioters on Jan. 6 because they tried to stop certifying what he thought was a fraudulent election. Even today, there’s no evidence that Trump changed his mind on the election.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Il.), both key members on the Jan. 6 Select Committee, say Trump organized, planned and orchestrated the Jan. 6 riots. So, when it comes to nitpicking about redactions on a proposed speech, you can see the extremes taken by Committee members to prove their case against Trump that Trump was guilty to breaking the law. Jan. 6 Committee members hope, before the Midterm elections Nov. 8, to release their final report, making referrals to Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland to charge Trump with various crimes related to “seditious conspiracy” or “dereliction of duty,” anything that helps convict him of a felony. If convicted, Trump, under the 14th Amendment, would be prohibited from running for public office. From the beginning, the purpose of the Jan. 6 House Select Committee was to prevent Trump from running in 2024.
Trump’s views on the 2020 presidential election aren’t likely to change anytime soon. He believes he was robbed because of voter fraud of winning a second term. Jan. 6 Select Committee has made the point that Trump’s unfounded beliefs about voter fraud spurred the angry White mob to attack the Capiol on Jan. 6. No one on the committee wants to talk about the four months of violence, looting, arson and anarchy that went on after the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd. While the Committee focuses only on certifying the Elector College results, the protesters clearly had another message for elected representatives: White people can riot too. Whether or not the rabble-rousers were only driven by Trump’s claims of election fraud is anyone’s guess. Nitpicking about parts of a redacted Jan. 7 speech shows that the Committee wants to find anything possible to indict Trump.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
