Capitol Riot

Crowds at U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 Surged After Trump Tweet: Rep. Aguilar

"Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done," Trump tweeted, in part

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Then-President Donald Trump tweeted criticism of Mike Pence, his vice president, after a phone call in which Trump pressured Pence to stop the election of Joe Biden, triggering the crowd at the U.S. Capitol to surge, Rep. Pete Aguilar said Thursday.

"Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done," Trump tweeted, in part.

"Our investigation found that immediately after the president's 2:24 p.m. tweet, the crowds both outside the Capitol and inside the Capitol surged," Aguilar said.

He said Pence was then moved to a secure location.

Multiple aides described a heated phone call earlier in the day between Trump and Pence.

Nicholas Luna, former assistant to Trump, said in audio testimony played during the hearing that he heard Trump calling Pence a "wimp" during that call.

In Thursday’s hearing on the Capitol riot, Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) called Jan. 6 a “legal scheme in deception.”

This is a live update. Click here for complete coverage of the Jan. 6 hearings.

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