Trump claims he would have been “very well received” by the January 6 crowd on Capitol Hill and that he intended to stop the attack – but the Secret Service wouldn’t let him.
Former President Donald Trump claimed just months after the January 6 mob on Capitol Hill that he would have been “very well received” and would have moved to stop them from storming the building had the Secret Service not intervened.
In new audio of a March 18, 2021, interview with Trump with ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, Trump spoke highly of what he believed that day could have been.
“If you look at the actual size of that crowd, it was never properly reported,” Trump said. “There were… it’s by far the largest crowd I’ve ever spoken to. By far.’
Karl then noted that Trump — who is on trial March 4 on charges of trying to overturn the election in Washington — said he told the crowd he was heading to the Capitol, leading to Trump’s confession.
“I thought about going back during the problem to stop the problem and do it myself. The Secret Service wasn’t too happy with that idea,” Trump said.
“I wanted to do that, and then the Secret Service said that can’t be done, and by the time I did, and when I came back, I saw that I wanted to go back,” he said.
Former President Donald Trump claimed just months after the January 6 mob on Capitol Hill that he would have been “very well received” and would have gone if the Secret Service had not intervened.
Trump did not show up to the riot, leading to more than a thousand people being charged that day for their involvement, CNN reported.
The audio could be used against Trump at next year’s trial.
Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan has set a March 4 trial date for the former Trump to face federal criminal charges in Washington, D.C. — setting up a landmark trial before the November election.
Both parties have predicted that the process itself could take four to six weeks, a period that could come before the end of the primary process, with about a dozen states yet to hold primaries. That could result in a ruling six months before voters go to the polls in November 2024.
Trump is charged with conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding, defraud the government and disenfranchise voters, in a streamlined indictment stemming from his efforts to overturn the election.
The indictment accuses the defeated president and his allies of “exploiting the violence and chaos” by calling on lawmakers on the evening of January 6 to delay the certification of Biden’s victory.
It also cites handwritten notes from former Vice President Mike Pence that reinforce Trump’s relentless drive to reject the electoral votes.
Trump did not show up to the riot, leading to more than a thousand people being charged that day for their involvement, CNN reported
Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan has set a March 4 trial date for the former Trump, who will face federal criminal charges in Washington, D.C., over allegations that Trump tried to overturn the election
The indictment accuses the defeated president and his allies of “exploiting the violence and chaos” by calling on lawmakers on the evening of January 6 to delay the certification of Biden’s victory
Pence rebuffed overtures from a House panel investigating the insurrection and tried to avoid testifying before the special counsel.
He only appeared after he lost a lawsuit, with prosecutors learning that Trump derided him in one conversation as “too honest” to block the certification.
Trump’s campaign has called the charges “bogus” and asked why it took two and a half years to file them.
The former president is facing multiple charges that appear to be hindering his progress toward regaining the presidency.
Trump still leads potential 2024 rival President Joe Biden 52 to 48 percent in a poll released Thursday.