Four Takeaways From The 7th January 6 Committee Public Hearing

Photo courtesy: J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP PHOTO

WASHINGTON (Fwrd Axis) — The House select committee investigating the January 6 riot on the U.S. Capitol continued with its public hearings on Tuesday, connecting far-right extremist groups The Proud Boys and The Oath Keepers to former President Donald Trump.

The committee heard testimony from Jason Van Tatenhove, a former spokesperson for the Oath Keepers who has since distanced himself from the far-right group, and Stephen Ayres, a January 6 Capitol rioter. Additionally, a few excerpts of Pat Cipollone’s, the former White House counsel, taped testimony was played as was the testimony from an anonymous former Twitter employee.

Here are four main takeaways from the seventh January 6 public hearing:

Trump’s former campaign manager feared a “civil war” was brewing

Brad Parscale worked on both of Trump’s presidential bids, serving as campaign manager in 2020 before being replaced following that low-attended Tulsa rally that angered the former president. The committee showed text messages between Parscale and Katrina Pierson, which had him angry Trump was repeating lies that he had won “by a landslide.”

Parscale to Pierson: “This is about Trump pushing for uncertainty in our country.”

“A sitting president asking for civil war,” he added.

Parscale later added that he felt “guilty” about helping Trump win the election in 2016 after someone died in the Capitol riot.

“Yeah, but a woman is dead,” Parscale wrote. “If I was Trump and knew my rhetoric killed someone.”

“It wasn’t the rhetoric,” Pierson replied.

Parscale answered: “Katrina. Yes, it was.”

Twitter could have stopped Trump sooner

Everyone knows Trump loved Twitter prior to him being taken off the platform but Tuesday everyone found out that Twitter loved him too.

A former Twitter employee testified under the guise of confidentiality, using a distorted voice to hide their identity. This person said Trump was anyone else than the President of the United States, he would have been banned faster.

“Twitter relished in the knowledge that they were also the favorite and most used service of the former president and enjoyed having that sort of power within the social media ecosystem,” they said.

Panel contacted the DOJ after Trump called a witness

The day ended with a massive bombshell from Rep. Liz Cheney that the former president attempted to contact a witness following the last hearing and that witness contacted their lawyer, who then contacted the committee.

“After our last hearing, President Trump tried to call a witness in our investigation, a witness you have not yet seen in these hearings,” Cheney said. “That person declined to answer or respond to President Trump’s call and instead alerted their lawyer to the call; their lawyer alerted us.