Donald Trump Jr. said. that his father needed to ‘condemn’ the violence in the Capitol as it was happening, Meadows texts revealed

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By Paul LeBlanc, CNN

Donald Trump Jr. said. in a series of text messages to then White House chief of staff Mark Meadows that his father needed to “condemn” the insurgency in the U.S. Capitol as it was happening.

Messages from Trump Jr. -revealed by the House select committee investigating the unrest on Jan. 6 before voting to hold Meadows in defiance of Congress-provides a window into the kind of urgent messages exchanged by top Trump and officials as the excitement unfolds.

“’He needs to condemn this nonsense ASAP. The Capitol Police tweet is not enough, ‘”Trump Jr. wrote. in a message to Meadows, according to the committee’s vice chairwoman, Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming.

Cheney detailed that when Meadows texted back that he agreed, Trump Jr. said: “We need an Oval office address. He needs to take the lead now. It’s too far away and out of touch.”

Only after pleading from aides and congressional allies inside the besieged Capitol on Jan. 6 did the former President release a taped video urging the masses of his supporters to “go home,” while still being fanned their wrong places to complain about a rigged election.

Cheney said Monday that other texts about the attack were sent in real time.

“These text messages are beyond doubt: The White House knows exactly what’s going on here in the Capitol,” he said.

The congresswoman read aloud the messages – which she said were sent between Meadows and lawmakers, Fox News personalities and the then President’s son – during the meeting, saying:

“A text received by Mr. Meadows said, ‘We’re under siege here at the Capitol.’ “” Another, ‘They violated the Capitol.’ “” In the third, ‘Mark, the protesters are literally storming the Capitol. Breaking windows on doors. Hastening to enter. Will Trump say anything? ‘”“ A fourth,’ There’s an armed standoff at the door of the House of Commons. ‘”“ And another, from someone inside the Capitol,’ We’re all helpless. ‘”

“Dozens of texts, including from Trump administration officials, prompted the President’s immediate action,” Cheney continued in his reading, saying:

“’POTUS must come out firmly and tell the protesters to disappear. Someone’s going to be killed. ‘”“ Another,’ Mark, he needs to stop this. Now. ‘”“ Third, in all caps,’ TELL THEM TO GO HOME. ‘”“ A fourth, and I quoted,’ POTUS needs to calm this sh*t down. ‘”

“In fact, according to records, many Fox News hosts knew the President needed to act immediately,” Cheney said, adding: “They texted Mr. Meadows, and he returned those texts.”

“Quote, ‘Mark, the President needs to tell the people in the Capitol to go home. It hurts us all. He is destroying his legacy, ‘wrote Laura Ingraham. “’Please take him on TV. It destroys everything you’ve done, ‘text Brian Kilmeade. ” “’Can he give a speech? Ask the people to leave the Capitol? ‘ encouraged by Sean Hannity. ”

“As the violence continued,” Cheney said, “one of the President’s children texted Mr. Meadows. ”

“Quote,‘ He needs to condemn this nonsense ASAP. The Capitol Police tweet wasn’t enough, ‘Donald Trump Jr. texted. “” Meadows replied:’ I’m pushing it hard. I agree. ‘”

“However, President Trump did not act immediately,” Cheney detailed, adding that “Donald Trump Jr. repeatedly texted,” urging his father’s action.

“Quote, ‘We need an Oval office address. He needs to lead now. It’s too far gone and out of control,’ end quote.”

When the Electoral College vote certification happened in the early hours of Jan. 7, Meadows received a text calling Jan. 6 a “terrible day.”

“Yesterday was a terrible day. We tried everything we could with our protests in 6 states, “the text read, according to Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat panel member.” I’m sorry nothing worked. “

The texts, as noted by some committee members, have already been given to the committee and are not subject to any privilege claims-which Meadows has consistently insisted since reversing his decision to cooperate with the investigation.

Members on Monday voted to formally advance the criminal contempt report against Meadows for a full floor vote in the House, which could take place Tuesday. The vote of the entire House is the final step before sending the referral to the Justice Department.

The-CNN-Wire ™ and © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Zachary Cohen and Ryan Nobles contributed to this report.

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