Thursday, the House committee investigating the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6 published walkie-talkie communications from the far-right group Oath Keepers on the day of the revolt. The organization says in the tape that former President Donald Trump did not instruct the rioters to “stand down” when he tweeted support for Capitol police during the incident.
On January 6, 2021, around 2:30 p.m., Trump tweeted “Please support our Capitol Police and legal authorities. They are unquestionably on our side. Stay peaceful!”
The House Committee on the 6th of January tweeted on Thursday that the leaked walkie-talkie contact was between Capitol-based Oath Keepers and those monitoring intelligence abroad.
In the recording, an Oath Keepers member read the tweet and stated, “That’s saying a lot. However, what he did not say was not to do anything to the lawmakers.”
There is laughter, then someone else says, “However, he did not request that they stand down. He basically instructed us to support the Capitol Police.”
Oath Keepers on the East Front of the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington. Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
The same individual then commented that they were viewing CNN and “It appears to be really radical to me. CNN reported that Trump has encouraged this behavior, is encouraging this behavior, and is watching the country burn two weeks before he leaves office. He will remain in office. I could care less what people say.”
Then, someone shouted over the radio that they were “in the mezzanine” and “in the main dome.”
“They’re hurling grenades,” the individual stated, adding, “we’re killing it.”
Another voice added, “Be safe,” followed by, “This is exactly what we f——— trained for.”
The House committee failed to identify any of the voices or reveal how it received the tape.
The tweet follows the House committee’s request to U.S. District Judge David O. Carter on Wednesday, January 6, to review 3,200 pages of emails from Trump-aligned attorney John Eastman to see if they are protected by executive privilege. In the brief, House counsel Douglas Letter stated that their questions to Eastman’s lawyers had largely gone unanswered, and that “it is evident that additional consultation with the plaintiff’s attorney will not result in the select committee acquiring the requested materials in a timely way.”
In July, Carter ordered Eastman to hand over 159 documents to the committee and ruled that another 440 were confidential and exempt from disclosure.
The committee on January 6 focused on Eastman as the alleged architect of a dubious legal scheme to get then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject electoral votes from crucial battleground states won by President Biden following the 2020 election. Pence ultimately rejected the plan on the grounds that he lacked the authority to implement it.
This week, the Jan. 6 committee reassembled after a brief vacation following a series of public hearings held this summer to announce the findings of its year-long inquiry into the attack. This week, committee head Rep. Bennie Thompson stated that another public hearing would be held on September 28.
Thompson stated on Tuesday that the committee will provide an interim report in mid-October, two weeks after the anticipated hearing in late September, and will conclude the report by the end of the year.