The fourth public hearing of the House select committee probing the January Capitol riot focused on how former President Donald Trump and his allies pressured officials in the critical swing states of Georgia and Arizona to challenge President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Tuesday's hearing revealed new information on how Trump, his team and a handful of Republican lawmakers worked behind the scenes to try to remove electors and replace them with pro- Trump ones. State election officials testified about the violent threats and intimidation they faced in the wake of the election.
The main point is here.
witnesses testified under oath about Trump's involvement in efforts to reverse elections in key states by either decertifying Biden's win or sending an alternate slate of fake pro- Trump electors
The vice chair said that Trump had a direct and personal role in the effort.
The speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives refused to hold an official committee hearing at the capitol to back up their claims of election fraud. The hearing was needed to justify the removal and replacement of the electors.
I didn't want to be used as a pawn and I didn't think the evidence merited a hearing.
He said he would not break his oath if they asked him to.
The lawyer for Trump asked for a vote to decertify Arizona's electoral votes.
The person said to just do it and let the courts sort it out.
He replied, "You're asking me to do something that's never been done in history, and I'm going to put my state through that without sufficient proof?" That will be good enough for me.
The RNC helped organize fake slates of electors at Trump's request, according to the committee.
The RNC's role was more just helping them reach out and help them assemble them, but my understanding is the campaign took the lead and we just were helping them in that role
The committee revealed new information that put two Republicans in the spotlight.
Johnson wanted to give the then-vice president an alternate slate of electors from Michigan and Wisconsin according to a text message from a staffer. Minutes before the joint session of Congress was to be convened, the texts came.
Do not give that to him, said the aide of the vice president.
The vice president's office said not to give it to him, and we did not. No further action was taken. It's over.
In testimony before the committee, he said that he was asked if he would support the decertification of the electors.
I said I wouldn't.
Multiple state election officials described disturbing threats, harassment and other forms of reprisal after being targeted in lies about the election being spread by Trump and his allies.
It is a pattern in our lives to worry about Saturdays.
He said groups of Trump supporters would drive by his house and accuse him of being a child molester. One instance where the protestor brandished a gun was when they started arguing with neighbors.
At the time of his daughter's death, he said the harassment outside his home also upset him.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said after the election that he got a lot of text messages from all over the country because his cell phone number was public. He said that his wife became a target and began to receive sexual attacks.
Some people broke into my daughter-in-law's home and she lost her son and has two children. He said that they were concerned about her safety as well.
Shaye Moss, a former Georgia election worker, cried as she described how her life has been turned upside down because of Giuliani's false accusations.
I haven't been in a long time. I have gained 60 lbs. She said that she just doesn't do anything anymore. It has changed my life a lot. Every way. All because of false statements. The same thing I've been doing for a long time.
The committee played clips of testimony from Moss' mother, who said she was tarred with false election- fraud claims.
My name and reputation have been lost. My sense of security is gone. To push their own lies about how the presidential election was stolen, a group of people, including number 45 and Rudy Giuliani, scapegoated me and Shaye.
The seven public hearings the select committee will hold in June are just the beginning of the investigation into the Capitol riot.
The panel wants to hear from more people, including the wife of a Supreme Court justice.
At the end of the hearing, Cheney asked Pat Cipollone to speak with the investigators.
The evidence shows that Trump does not want Cipollone to testify.
She said that the panel is working to get Mr. Cipollone to testify.
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