'I remember hearing the word wimp': House January 6th Select Committee releases more witness depositions
Hours before it disbanded forever, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol released a final slate of depositions of witnesses that it interviewed during its probe of former President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election and remain in power.
CBS News congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane tweeted video clips of key Trump allies – including coup memo author John Eastman, ex-Trump defense attorney Rudy Giuliani, Ivanka Trump, and then-Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office John McEntee – recalling what they saw and heard leading up to and during the Trump-inspired insurrection.
Eastman is shown repeatedly invoking his 5th Amendment right against self-crimination.
READ MORE: Donald Trump runs away from questions about January 6th at Mar-a-Lago New Year's Eve party
Giuliani, however, was far more forthcoming, admitting that he remembers "saying to people that somebody should be put in charge of the Justice Department who isn't frightened of what's gonna be done to their reputation." Trump wanted to replace Attorney General Bill Barr with Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Jeffrey Clark but abandoned the effort when faced with the prospect of mass resignations.
Giuliani added that while he "didn't know him that well," he was confident that "others" viewed Clark as a "good alternative" to Barr due to his willingness to do Trump's bidding and because "he's not intimidated by the press."
Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka, who at the time worked in the Oval Office, said that Trump's call with Vice President Mike Pence "was heated." Another Trump aide, Nicholas Luna, told the Committee that “I remember hearing the word wimp.”
McEntee testified that Trump appeared "shocked" over the demonstrations "getting a little out of control."
READ MORE: Highlights from the latest batch of January 6th Select Committee transcripts
The Select Committee also provided footage of a rioter threatening Republican lawmakers who refused to cooperate with Trump's scheme.
"If you voted for treason, we're going to drag your ass through the streets," the man exclaimed while marching toward the Capitol. "We're nice people, but when you treason our country, we'll drag your ass."
Watch below or at this link.
\u201cHere\u2019s an excerpt from Rudy Giuliani\u2019s deposition in which he\u2019s asked about 11th hour attempt to install Jeffrey Clark as acting Attorney General. Giuliani ascribes the idea to \u201cothers\u201d ===>\u201d— Scott MacFarlane (@Scott MacFarlane) 1672665033
\u201cWatching the attack on the US Capitol in the private dining room \n\nJan 6 Select Cmte and Rep Elaine Luria (D-VA) provided this graphic and narration for context ===>\u201d— Scott MacFarlane (@Scott MacFarlane) 1672665033
\u201c\u201cWe\u2019ll drag your a** through the streets\u201d\n\nCommittee releases video of movement of mob \n\n(Warning: vulgarities)\u201d— Scott MacFarlane (@Scott MacFarlane) 1672665033
READ MORE: Unequal justice: The January 6th Select Committee's 'Crime and Punishment' moment
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