– [ad_1]
(Getty Images)
As insurgents attacked police officers and smashed windows on the U.S. Capitol in a desperate attempt to derail U.S. democracy, aides to former President Donald Trump tried to blame him for the whole event on antifa, new book says .
Journalist Michael Wolff describes the scene in his new book, Landslide, which documents the final days of the Trump presidency, including the Capitol Riot.
According to Mr. Wolff’s report, published in New York Magazine, Mr. Trump was more concerned with continuing his crusade to prove that the election was stolen from him, and was so focused on his goal that he almost seemed to be out of reach. deviation in severity. the insurrection.
“The president, however, prided himself. He remained singularly focused on the electoral issue and at least had blinders on everything else, this is how everyone rationalized something close to his total failure, voluntary or not, to understand what was happening “, a writes Mr. Wolff.
The author explained that even among those close to Mr. Trump, allies like his daughter Ivanka saw the riot more as a “visual issue” than a violent attack on democracy.
Eventually, that perspective changed. At 3 p.m., about an hour after Trump’s first supporters broke through Capitol Hill, the then president and his allies were trying to distance themselves from the attacks.
Ivanka Trump wrote a tweet at around 3:15 p.m., calling the rioters “American patriots, and asking them not to attack law enforcement. But even calling them patriots showed some support for the insurgents, so she deleted the tweet.”
Mr. Trump’s staff debated for more than an hour on whether to address the public. Meanwhile, police battled rioters as lawmakers across the country were evacuated and taken to safety.
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they attempt to storm the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC (AFP via Getty Images)
According to Mr. Wolff, there were three dominant views among Mr. Trump’s staff: that the president shouldn’t say anything, that he should something, and that saying something could potentially make matters worse.
The story continues
Eventually, the former president’s aides presented him with a pair of tweets written in his voice that he could use to deal with the riot while walking away.
“Black sheep like ANTIFA and other mad leftists have infiltrated today’s peaceful protest against fraudulent vote counting. Violence is never acceptable! MAGA supporters embrace our police and the state of right and should leave the Capitol now! ” said the first tweet.
“The bogus media that encouraged the violent radical riots this summer are now trying to blame peaceful and innocent MAGA supporters for violent actions. This is not who we are! Our people should go home and let the criminals suffer the consequences! said the other.
Both tweets bore the mark of the administration; lie, scapegoat and refusal to admit failures.
However, neither impressed Mr. Trump, who would have preferred to write his tweets himself.
The then president wouldn’t have believed the riot was as bad as the news reported. As some of his supporters, like Ashli Babbit and Rosanne Boyland, took their last breath, Mr. Trump insisted the riots were just hype.
Eventually, Mr. Trump posted another tweet, this one written by Dan Scavino, calling for peace among the rioters.
(AFP via Getty Images)
“I call on everyone on the United States Capitol to stay peaceful. No violence! Remember WE are the Law and Order Party, Lawful and Our Big Men and Women in Blue. Thank you!” Mr. Scavino wrote, like Mr. Trump.
Although Mr. Trump did not immediately show up with the “antifa” scapegoat, other Republican lawmakers have jumped at the opportunity to exonerate their constituents by citing bogeymen.
Later, on January 6, Congress met again to complete the electoral vote count. Meanwhile, Congressman Matt Gaetz has claimed that some of the people who violated the Capitol today were not Trump supporters. They pretended to be Trump supporters and, in fact, were members of the violent anti-fa terrorist group.
Mr Gaetz was greeted with audible boos from fellow lawmakers as he lied directly to their faces and to the American public watching the event.
In the days following the riot, far-right media also attempted to promote accounts claiming the rioters were in fact leftists. Several posts noted that one of the rioters who was seen on Capitol Hill wearing buffalo furs and horns with his face painted had actually attended Black Lives Matter and environmental justice events in Arizona, suggesting he was in fact a leftist.
It was later revealed that the man in question was “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley, a staunch supporter of both the QAnon conspiracy theory and Mr. Trump.
To date, investigators have found no evidence that the U.S. Captiol violence on January 6 was perpetuated by anyone other than Mr. Trump’s supporters.
Read more
Trump hits out at Bill Barr after former GA allegedly calls election fraud bulls ***
Iran: no decision on camera deal with UN nuclear inspectors
Transgender rights and religion among cases judges could add
[ad_2]
picture credit