And the evidence continues to mount. Evidence procured by journalists, not law enforcement.
Late last week, Rolling Stone reported that a top rally organizer instructed aides to purchase three “burner” (anonymous) prepaid phones and it was with the “utmost importance” that they use cash in the purchase. The phones were then used by rally organizers to communicate with Eric Trump, Lara Trump, and Mark Meadows, at a minimum.
Today, The Guardian reports that Trump himself was in contact with some of his top “allies” holed up at the Willard Hotel hours before the riot and insurrection. There has already been abundant reporting that Trump loyalists such as Roger Stone, Steve Bannon, Giuliani, Alex Jones, and others had been using rooms at the swank Willard Hotel as what they referenced as “the War Room.”
This is the first reporting alleging that Trump was in direct contact with some of those people who may have known of and planned the attack on the Capitol and its ultimate goal. According to the Guardian:
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“Sources have told the Guardian that just hours before the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol this year, Donald Trump made several calls from the White House to top lieutenants at the Willard Hotel in Washington to discuss ways to stop or delay the certification of Joe Biden’s election win from taking place on 6 January.”
One must remember that it is a known fact that meetings had been taking place in the White House since late December regarding what to do on January 6th to stop the process on January 6th. It is highly unlikely that this was a conversation in which people were brainstorming ideas. Someone had some kind of plan together or what were they doing in a room they referenced as “the War Room” to begin with?
Why did Lauren Boebert tweet at dawn that day that it is “1776”?
The former president relayed that his vice-president, Mike Pence, was reluctant to go along with the plan to commandeer his largely ceremonial role at the joint session of Congress in a way that would allow Trump to retain the presidency for a second term.
It is critical to not let the Guardian’s traditional “understated manner” get in the way of what we know regarding Trump and his disposition at this point, his fury with Pence. Pence was not “reluctant” to follow Trump’s direct instructions, he had flat denied that he had any authority to do what Trump asked, and there had been heated arguments between the men about it. This conversation surely entailed how they were going to respond now that Pence had made it clear he was going forward under the Constitution.
He then pressed his aides about how to stop Biden’s certification from taking place, and delay the certification process to get alternate slates of electors for Trump sent to Congress.
Many believe that the entirety of January 6th was about getting Pence out of the Capitol and unable to fulfill his Constitutional duties, thus forcing some sort of “delay” in the process, indeed, the Washington Post reported that after being rushed to the basement of the Capitol, Pence refused to get into an SUV with Secret Service agents unfamiliar to him because he feared there was a “conspiracy” of some type. Recall, this was minutes after Trump texted that Pence had failed them.
If Pence was right, and if there was a conspiracy of some type to get him out of the Capitol, this is the first direct evidence of contact between Trump and those allies that have been suspected (nothing is proven) of directing the assault on the Capitol.
Under The Guardian’s heading “Why Is this Significant?” It writes:
Trump’s remarks reveal a direct line from the White House and the command center at the Willard. The conversations also show Trump’s thoughts appear to be in line with the motivations of the pro-Trump mob that carried out the Capitol attack.
Recently, Adam Schiff commented publicly on the fact that he “vehemently” disagreed with Merrick Garland’s apparent refusal to investigate the last administration. One wonders how much evidence of this type, the type that strengthens ties between Trump and the insurrection, must burst forth from the media before Merrick Garland is forced into action or forced into retirement.
@JasonMiciak believes a day without learning is a day not lived. He is a political writer, features writer, author, and attorney. He is a Canadian-born dual citizen who spent his teen and college years in the Pacific Northwest and has since lived in seven states. He now enjoys life as a single dad of a young girl, writing from the beaches of the Gulf Coast. He loves crafting his flower pots, cooking, and currently studies philosophy of science, religion, and non-math principles behind quantum mechanics and cosmology. Please feel free to contact with any concerns.
