Our book,
Divided We Stand, looks at the 2020 election and the
January 6 insurrection. Some Republican leaders -- and a measurable number of
rank-and-file voters --
are open to violent rebellion,
coups, and
secession. Trump and his henchmen were involved in violent
intimidation.
Sebastian Murdock at HuffPo:
Former President Donald Trump knew his supporters were armed with weapons the day of the Jan 6, 2021, Capitol attack, but insisted they be allowed to watch him speak before the riot.
“I heard the president say something to the effect of, ‘I don’t f-ing care that they have weapons. They’re not here to hurt me. Take the f-ing mags [metal detectors] away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here,’” said Cassidy Hutchinson, who was an aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
The new explosive testimony was aired during a surprise hearing on Tuesday. Hutchinson recalled that Trump had been informed by Secret Service that his supporters had brought weapons to his rally shortly before the attack on the Capitol. Those weapons included bear spray, spears, guns and flagpoles used as weapons.
Trump, however, was apparently fixated on the crowd size and demanded more of his supporters be allowed to bypass metal detectors to watch him speak, Hutchinson testified.
“He was furious because he wanted the arena we had at the ellipse to be maxed out to capacity,” Hutchinson said of Trump’s demeanor.
Following Trump’s rally, hundreds of his supporters stormed the Capitol. Five people died and more than 140 officers were injured.
