In what could be a final attempt by the Jan. 6 Committee to show that former President Donald Trump knew that he lost the 2020 election, and took action to undermine those results, the committee has voted unanimously to subpoena Trump.
A unanimous 9-0 vote was held during Thursday's hearing in what is seen as a largely-symbolic public vote. The committee argues that Trump did little to stop the insurrection, and in fact says he actively tried to fuel the actions of the crowds that gathered in Washington.
Newly-released footage shown during the hearing captured the moments where frantic Congressional leaders scrambled to react to the unfolding events.
The hearing also included new deposition footage from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, admitting that Trump conceded he had lost the race.
"'I don't want people to know we lost, Mark....this is embarrassing,'" Hutchinson recalled the former president saying.
Secret Service emails and recordings also showed that federal officials anticipated that violence could take place. Those messages also depicted a "livid" Trump, who lashed out furiously when the Supreme Court dealt him a judicial defeat in the aftermath of the election.
All of these revelations led the committee to subpoena Trump.
Local
"The central cause of Jan. 6 was one man: Donald Trump, whom many others followed," Rep. Liz Cheney, who lost her Republican primary race in Wyoming largely because of her criticisms of the former president, said.
"The evidence shows his false victory speech was well in advance, before any votes were counted. .... to declare victory no matter the results. He made a plan before Election Day," California Rep. Zoe Iofgren added.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
After the conclusion of the hearing, a final committee report will be drawn up, summarizing the findings and making recommendations to potentially help prevent a similar incident from ever occurring again.
It is not known when that report will be published.
