The panel on January 6 is missing about 8 hours of Trump – Daily Local phone calls

Mary Claire Jalonik and COLIN LONG

WASHINGTON (AP) – A group of House of Representatives investigating the Capitol uprising on Jan. 6 found an approximately eight-hour gap in official records of phone calls from then-President Donald Trump when violence erupted and supporters stormed the building, the man said.

According to the man, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation, and spoke Tuesday with the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. It is unclear whether this gap includes White House cell phones.

It is widely known that Trump spoke on January 6 with Republican lawmakers. Investigators in the House of Representatives are checking to see if the president was communicating by other means at the time, perhaps through personal mobile phones or some other form of communication, such as a phone call from an aide or an assistant phone. The committee called the mobile phone company to record and await the data. On Tuesday, Trump had no immediate comment, but he had previously neglected the investigation.

The Committee also continues to receive records from the National Archives and other sources that may provide additional information.

But the lack of information about Trump’s calls is a nasty problem for investigators as they work to create the most complete record of the attack, with particular emphasis on what the president did at the White House when hundreds of his supporters brutally beat police. , stormed the Capitol and suspended certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. It also raises questions about whether Trump purposefully bypassed official channels to avoid recording.

During the missing hours, Trump went to a rally on the Ellipse, spoke, and then watched as a brutal crowd of his supporters stormed the Capitol, overpowering police and looting through the building for hours before they were finally kicked out and the building was declared guarded around 5:30 p.m. More than 700 people were arrested as a result of the violence.

Trump communicated with at least some lawmakers during the uprising. He spoke, for example, with Republican leader in the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, who asked him to leave the crowd, according to Republican Jaime Lynn Herrera Baitler of Washington, who said McCarthy told her about the call.

In a statement, she said: “Then, according to McCarthy, the president said, ‘Well, Kevin, I think these people are more upset about the election than you are.’

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also said he spoke to the president at the time, telling reporters, “I said,‘ Mr. President, they fired the vice president. They want me to disconnect from the phone. I have to go. “

That Trump call apparently was first sent to Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who then handed the phone to Tuberville.

The gap in the records was previously reported by the AP. The exact duration of this gap was first reported by The Washington Post.

The committee focused on Trump’s actions that day because he waited for hours to tell his supporters to stop the violence and leave the Capitol. The group is also interested in organizing and funding a rally this morning in Washington, DC, where Trump told his supporters to “fight like hell.” Among the unanswered questions is how closely the organizers of the rally coordinated with the White House.

In many cases, the committee may not need direct confirmation from the White House about Trump’s calls. Lawmakers have already interviewed more than 500 witnesses, including several people from Trump’s inner circle who may be able to fill these gaps. However, they are hampered by the former president’s claims on the privilege of the executive branch on his personal conversations, which has forced many witnesses to refuse to answer some questions.

Committee members on Monday voted unanimously to have former Trump advisers Peter Navarro and Dan Skavina disrespect Congress for their months-long refusal to comply with subpoenas.