Amidst the Stunning Presentation Liz Cheney Told the Nation Donald Trump ‘Planned’ January 6th

Despite all the leaks and despite all the books and reporting, the nation has not heard or seen evidence proving that Donald Trump planned or approved the entirety of January 6thincluding the violence, the chants of “Hang Mike Pence,” and the convenient gallows “someone” put out front for pictures. And yet last night, almost tucked into a sentence meant to highlight the breadth of Trump’s desperation, Rep. Liz Cheney told us that January 6th was just one point in a “sophisticated” seven-part plan. Per CNN:

Read the biggest developments from Michael Cohen's testimony.

Former President Donald Trump had a “sophisticated seven-part plan” to overturn the 2020 presidential election over the course of several months, January 6 committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney said, detailing how the panel plans to use its future hearings to tackle each part of the scheme.

“On the morning of January 6, President Donald Trump’s intention was to remain president of the United States, despite the lawful outcome of the 2020 election and in violation of his Constitutional obligation to relinquish power,” Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, said in her opening statement at Thursday’s prime-time hearing.

Cheney did not detail the specific points of the plan in her opening statement. She said that the rioters who breached the Capitol and fought with police were motivated by Trump’s actions falsely claiming that the election was stolen from him.

It appears that Cheney purposefully avoided pointing the finger directly at Trump for planning the events that occurred on the afternoon of January 6th. And yet her opening statement makes clear that Donald Trump had a seven-part plan. Cheney did not say that “the Trump campaign had a seven…” nor did she say, “Trump’s team of advisors and attorneys had a seven part…”

No. She said Donald Trump himself had a seven-part plan. At a minimum, Cheney said that January 6th constituted one element of Donald Trump’s plan. For it to be “his” plan, he had to know and approve of the details, which makes sense given Trump told his crowd that they needed to go up there and “fight like hell,” and a man who sat and watched, doing nothing as his team panicked.

Cheney could merely have said, “There was a seven-part plan formed to keep Trump in the presidency… ” She did not. It is almost surely intentional and meaningful.

Jason Miciak

@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.