Jan. 6 hearing breakdown: Trump wanted to join Capitol rally

Hutchinson described Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and House Republicans holding strategy sessions.

At least five House Republicans sought pardons, according to Hutchinson.

Meadows used encrypted Signal communications and reportedly burned documents after meetings.

WASHINGTON – The House committee investigating the Capitol attack Jan. 6, 2021, is holding an abruptly scheduled hearing Tuesday with testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson and "recently obtained evidence."

Testimony concludes: Committee members came up to embrace Cassidy Hutchinson as she left the room. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., first, who hugged her, followed by Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.

Committee members came up to embrace Cassidy Hutchinson as she left the room. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., first, who hugged her, followed by Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif. Trump's Jan. 6 speech: There was genuine concern in the White House over the 25th Amendment being invoked and removing Trump as president, which was part of how Trump was convinced to give a speech.

There was genuine concern in the White House over the 25th Amendment being invoked and removing Trump as president, which was part of how Trump was convinced to give a speech. Meadows, Stone and Flynn: Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows spoke with Roger Stone and Michael Flynn the night before the Capitol attack “regarding what would play out the next day,”

Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows spoke with Roger Stone and Michael Flynn the night before the Capitol attack “regarding what would play out the next day,” Trump reacts: Within the first half of her testimony, Trump reacted to Hutchinson on his Truth Social website. "I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, other than I heard very negative things about her," Trump said in a post.

Within the first half of her testimony, Trump reacted to Hutchinson on his Truth Social website. "I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, other than I heard very negative things about her," Trump said in a post. 'Mike deserves that': Hutchinson said she overheard Trump, Mark Meadows and Trump lawyers in the White House discuss the chants of “Hang Mike Pence” as rioters attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. Meadows told White House attorney Pat Cipollone, who urged action, that Trump "thinks Mike deserves that. He doesn't think they're doing anything wrong."

Hutchinson said she overheard Trump, Mark Meadows and Trump lawyers in the White House discuss the chants of “Hang Mike Pence” as rioters attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. Meadows told White House attorney Pat Cipollone, who urged action, that Trump "thinks Mike deserves that. He doesn't think they're doing anything wrong." Barr spurs Trump to throw his lunch. Furious after Attorney General Bill Barr announced in December 2020 he found no evidence of widespread voter fraud to the Associated Press, Trump threw his lunch against the wall, according to Hutchinson.

Furious after Attorney General Bill Barr announced in December 2020 he found no evidence of widespread voter fraud to the Associated Press, Trump threw his lunch against the wall, according to Hutchinson. Weapons at the Ellipse. On the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, police said there were men within walking distance of the Ellipse armed with AR-15-style rifles and Glock-style pistols. Some hid out in trees.

On the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, police said there were men within walking distance of the Ellipse armed with AR-15-style rifles and Glock-style pistols. Some hid out in trees. Trump was warned not to march to Capitol. Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former President Donald Trump, said White House counsel Pat Cipollone voiced concerns repeatedly about Trump’s plan to march to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as potentially illegal. “Please make sure we don’t go up to the Capitol, Cassidy,” Hutchinson quoted Cipollone as telling her the morning of Jan. 6.

Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former President Donald Trump, said White House counsel Pat Cipollone voiced concerns repeatedly about Trump’s plan to march to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as potentially illegal. “Please make sure we don’t go up to the Capitol, Cassidy,” Hutchinson quoted Cipollone as telling her the morning of Jan. 6. 'Oathkeeper' and 'Proud Boys': Cassidy Hutchinson said that while in the White House, she heard the words “Oathkeeper” and “Proud Boys” as Jan. 6 drew closer.

Day 6 of Jan. 6 hearings recap:Miss Day 6 of the Jan. 6 hearing? Trump knew mob was armed and dangerous, bombshell witness says

Mick Mulvaney, Trump's former acting chief of staff, on Cassidy Hutchinson: “I know her. I don’t think she is lying.”

Mick Mulvaney – the acting chief of staff under former Pres. Donald Trump from Jan. 2019 to March 2020 – tweeted during the committee hearing that there was “no one closer” to Trump than special assistant to the Chief of Staff Cassidy Hutchinson.

He said that as a top aide, Hutchinson would be covered by the same “executive privilege” as former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows or Assistant to the President Peter Navarro, and that “If she can testify, then so can they.”

Mulvaney said he expected to hear from former Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Tony Ornato, former Assistant Attorney General Steven Engel and Meadows before the hearings were concluded.

“One thing is clear in my mind: Meadows will get indicted for his failure to appear. My guess is that ultimately he shows,” Mulvaney said.

– Katherine Swartz

Thompson: 'Serious discussion' about Cipollone being interviewed or testifying

Select Committee Chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told reporters that former special assistant to the chief of staff Cassidy Hutchinson had four separate interviews before testifying because “the legal advice she was receiving didn’t allow her to be as forthcoming as we thought."

Once Hutchinson changed attorneys – from the Trump White House chief ethics lawyer to Jody Hunt, a longtime ally of former Trump administration Attorney General Jeff Sessions – "she began to open up more and more about what was happening around January 6,” Thompson said.

Following Hutchinson’s testimony on Tuesday, Thompson said he expected there would be “serious discussion” in the committee about inviting former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone to be interviewed or testify.

Hutchinson repeatedly mentioned Cipollone as one of the most outspoken in Trump’s inner circle, imploring Trump to speak out against the rioters on both Jan. 6 and 7.

– Chelsey Cox, Katherine Swartz

Raskin: Committee will look into witness tampering

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin, R-Md, said the Jan. 6 committee looks to investigate further into tampering of witnesses, after two witnesses told the committee they had been pressured into testifying in favor of former President Donald Trump.

“It's a crime to tamper with witnesses, it’s a form of obstructing justice,” Raskin said. “The committee won't tolerate it and we haven’t had a chance to fully investigate it or fully discuss it, but it's something we want to look into.”

As for looking into potential crimes – either tampering or by others involved in the Jan. 6 attack – Raskin said that falls under the Justice Department’s jurisdiction.

He said the committee plans to release a list of recommendations following the end of the hearings about how to “safeguard the integrity of our government and how to make sure that elections don't come under attack.”

– Dylan Wells, Katherine Swartz

Magnetometer:What are 'mags,' and why did ex-Meadows aide bring them up at the Jan. 6 hearings?

Thompson and Jan. 6 committee warn witnesses to tell truth

One apparent reason for this emergency hearing on Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony: Pressuring high-level Trump aides to testify about the president's Jan. 6 actions.

In a closing statement, committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told potential witnesses, "if you've suddenly remembered things you forgot, or gained some courage ... our door is open."

Thompson did not use names, but was obviously referring to people like White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows; Hutchinson testified at length about them and others involved with Trump's handling of Jan. 6.

Praising Hutchinson, Thompson had a warning for others: "Because of this courageous woman and others like her, your attempt to hide the truth from the American people will fail."

– David Jackson

Witnesses being told ‘Trump does read transcripts’

Witnesses sitting for depositions in front of the Jan. 6 committee have received calls from former colleagues advising them about how they should testify before the committee, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said Tuesday, saying the practice raises “very serious concerns."

One witness described a caller talking about “protecting who I need to protect” and being a “team player,” according to written text of the exchange with the unnamed witness shared by the committee Tuesday. “They have reminded me a couple of times that Trump does read transcripts and just to keep that in mind as I proceed with my interviews.”

Another witness testified, “[A person] let me know you have your deposition tomorrow. He wants me to let you nkoow that he’s thinking about you. He knows you’re loyal, and you’re going to do the right thing when you go in for your deposition,” according to the committee.

– Erin Mansfield

Trump urged to condemn Jan. 6 attack over concerns of 25th Amendment

Trump was extremely reluctant to release a statement condemning the Capitol attack the day after Jan. 6. Former aide to Mark Meadows, Cassidy Hutchinson, told the committee a group of White House staffers had to convince him to give a speech.

“Mark (Meadows), Ivanka (Trump), Jared Kushner, Eric Herschmann, Pat Cipollone, Pat Philbin, those are people I’m aware of,” said Hutchinson, recalling who was in the group that convinced Trump. “Kayleigh McEnany as well.”

There was genuine concern in the White House over the 25th Amendment being invoked and removing Trump as president, which was part of how Trump was convinced to give a speech.

– Kenneth Tran

Giuliani and Meadows both wanted presidential pardons related to Jan. 6

Former chief of staff Mark Meadows and President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani both sought pardons from Trump in relation to Jan. 6, said Cassidy Hutchinson, former assistant to Meadows.

The two are the latest in a growing list of Trump allies who Hutchinson knew sought pardons.

In last week’s hearing, Hutchinson testified that GOP lawmakers Mo Brooks, Matt Gaetz, Andy Biggs, Louie Gohmert and Scott Perry all sought pardons as well.

– Katherine Swartz

Cheney: People spoke of invoking the 25th Amendment against Trump

Hutchinson and Cheney discussed post-Jan. 6 talk from prominent officials about invoking the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution against Trump, removing him from office for incapacity.

The 25th Amendment was "a way of stripping the full power of the presidency from Donald Trump," Cheney said.

Hutchinson said officials discussed the amendment as a way to give themselves "cover" for their own actions. No one followed through on the 25th Amendment idea.

Instead, the U.S. House voted to impeach Trump for a second time.

– David Jackson

Fox News host and Trump Jr. texted Meadows

Fox News host Laura Ingraham and Donald Trump Jr. texted chief of staff Mark Meadows on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021 saying that the president needed to condemn the violence taking place at the Capitol.

“Hey mark, the president needs to tell people in the capitol to go home,” Ingraham wrote at the beginning of a series of three tweets. “This is hurting all of us. He is destroying his legacy and playing into every stereotype. We lose all credibility against the BLM/antifa crowd if things go south.”

“He’s got to condemn this sh—,” Trump Jr. texted. “Asap. The capitol police tweet is not enough.”

– Erin Mansfield

Ivanka Trump wanted her father to send people home

Ivanka Trump said on multiple occasions on Jan. 6 that she wanted her father to implore rioters to go home, following the same advice of White House counsel urging former President Donald Trump to take “swift action.”

“She wanted her dad to tell them to go home peacefully and she wanted to include language that he necessarily wasn’t on board with at the time,” former special assistant Cassidy Hutchinson said.

– Katherine Swartz

Hutchinson 'disgusted' at Trump's attack on Pence

Hutchinson said that, as a staff member, she was disappointed at a Trump tweet on Jan. 6 attacking Vice President Mike Pence, even as he was under threat of death by Trump rioters. Outside of her job, Hutchinson said she had a different reaction

"As an American, I was disgusted," Hutchinson said. "It was unpatriotic. It was un-American."

She said Pence and the Capitol were under attack over a Trump lie about election fraud.

– David Jackson

‘I read that tweet and made a decision at that moment to resign’

Former Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger told the committee he made the immediate decision to resign after seeing Trump’s tweet that former Vice President Mike Pence didn’t have the “courage” to overturn the election.

On the day of the Capitol attack, as rioters breached the Capitol, a member of Pottinger’s staff handed him a printout of Trump’s tweet.

“I read that tweet and made a decision at that moment to resign,” said Pottinger. “That’s where I knew I was leaving that day, once I had read that tweet.”

– Kenneth Tran

‘He doesn’t think they’re doing anything wrong,’ chief of staff said of Trump on threats to Pence

Hutchinson said she overheard Trump, Mark Meadows and Trump lawyers in the White House discuss the chants of “Hang Mike Pence” as rioters attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6.

She recalled Trump White House attorney Pat Cipollone telling Meadows, “We need to do something.”

“You heard it, Pat,” Meadows said, according to Hutchinson. “He thinks Mike deserves that. He doesn't think they're doing anything wrong. To which Pat said something to the effect of, 'This is f---ing crazy.'"

– Joey Garrison

Meadows: Trump ‘doesn’t want to do anything’ about violence at Capitol

Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told White House lawyer Pat Cipollone on Jan. 6, 2021, that President Donald Trump didn’t want to do anything to stop the violence that was taking place at the Capitol, according to Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony.

Cipollone came “barrelling toward our office,” Hutchinson said, before opening the door, shaking his head, and telling Meadows that the rioters had made it to the Capitol. He urged Meadows to come with him to go speak to Trump.

“He doesn’t want to do anything, Pat,” Hutchinson said Meadows said, and Hutchinson says Cipollone responded, “Mark, something needs to be done. People are going to die and the blood is going to be on your f---ing hands. This is out of control. I’m going down there.”

– Erin Mansfield

Hutchinson: Meadows 'needs to snap out of this'

When Cassidy Hutchinson, former special assistant to ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, saw the rioters were getting closer to the Capitol, she went into Meadows’ office to see if he was aware of what’s going on.

She found him “sitting on his couch on his cellphone,” not paying attention to the news.

Hutchinson said seeing the rioters get closer felt like watching “a bad car accident that’s about to happen where you can’t stop it, but you want to be able to do something.”

“I remember thinking in that moment, “Mark needs to snap out of this, and I don’t know how to snap him out of this, but he needs to care,” Hutchinson said.

– Katherine Swartz

Flynn took the 5th when asked about peaceful transitions of power

Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows spoke with Roger Stone and Michael Flynn the night before the Capitol attack “regarding what would play out the next day,” according to Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

Hutchinson confirmed to the committee that Meadows spoke with both Stone and Flynn, but was “not sure” the exact contents of the conversations.

Stone was at the Capitol attack and had “multiple members of the Oathkeepers who were allegedly serving as his security detail,” said Cheney. In deposition to the committee, Flynn exercised his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination when asked if violence at the Capitol was justified.

– Kenneth Tran

Trump reacts to witness Cassidy Hutchinson, claims he barely knew her

The former president issued a number of statements during the hearing attacking Hutchinson.

"I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, other than I heard very negative things about her," Trump said in a post on the Truth Social website.

In an initial statement, Trump did not address any specifics of Hutchinson's testimony. They included statements that he knew Jan. 6 protesters had weapons and that he lunged at a Secret Service agent in an effort to grab the steering wheel of the presidential SUV to drive to the U.S. Capitol.

In subsequent posts, Trump denied wanting to see protesters with weapons or trying to grab the wheel of his vehicle.

Said Trump: "She is bad news!"

Note: Other Trump White House aides of Jan. 6 issued statements during the day defending Hutchinson, and praising her testimony.

– David Jackson

On 'mags':What are 'mags,' and why did ex-Meadows aide bring them up at the Jan. 6 hearings?

Alyssa Farah Griffin defends Cassidy Hutchinson

A conservative commentator who previously worked as an assistant to President Donald Trump defended Cassidy Hutchinson, the former principal aide to chief of staff Mark Meadows who is testifying in front of the Jan. 6 committee.

“People of sound mind don’t reach to try to grab a steering wheel, from the backseat, to drive to the Capitol to overturn a democratic election,” Farah Griffin tweeted, referencing Hutchinson’s testimony about Trump’s behavior that day.

“Cassidy Hutchinson is 25 years old and has more courage than many elected members of Congress more than twice her age,” she also wrote.

– Erin Mansfield

Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego: Trump 'had insurrection on his mind'

“Like a lot of insurrection leaders, he knew his insurgents, and he knew how to motivate them,” Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., told reporters during the hearing recess.

“There's no such thing as this many coincidences in life. The fact that the Oathkeepers, the Proud Boys, they all showed up. They all had weaponry, that they happened to stick outside the magnetometers, the fact that he knew that they weren't dangerous,” Gallego said.

“The fact that he was trying to get to the Capitol to basically lead them into the Capitol, you know, tells you that this president had insurrection on his mind, was trying to interfere with Congress's duty to certify the election,” Gallego said. “The question is, what happens next and where is (Attorney General) Merrick Garland in all of this?”

– Dylan Wells

Angry Trump threw lunch against the wall after Barr announced there was no voter fraud

Furious after Attorney General Bill Barr announced he found no evidence of widespread voter fraud to the Associated Press, Trump threw his lunch against the wall, according to Hutchinson.

Hutchinson said she saw a broken porcelain plate in the White House dining room following the Dec. 20, 2020, incident and "ketchup dripping down the wall."

“The valet had articulated that the president was extremely angry at the Attorney General's AP interview and had thrown his lunch against the wall,” Hutchinson said.

Such tantrums were not uncommon by Trump, she said.

“There were several times throughout my tenure with the chief of staff that I was aware of either him throwing dishes or flipping the tablecloth to let all the contents of the table go onto the floor and likely break or go everywhere,” Hutchinson said.

– Joey Garrison

Trump grabbed steering wheel, lunged at aide

Former President Donald Trump was under the impression he was heading to the Capitol following his rally.

"I'm the f---ing president. Take me to the Capitol now," Trump said, according to Hutchinson.

When he was told he wasn't going, Trump, sitting in the back of his SUV in the motorcade, reached forward and tried to grab the steering wheel in order to move the vehicle in the direction of the Capitol, even though aides said he had to go back to the White House. He later lunged at his security chief in an apparent attempt to choke him.

Hutchinson said she heard this story in the White House from Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Tony Ornato. She said Trump’s security chief Robert Engel, who had been in the car with Trump, was in the room with them. At no point did Engel correct the story, Hutchinson said.

“Mr. Engel grabbed his arm, said, ‘Sir, you need to take your arm off the steering wheel,’” Hutchinson testified. “’We’re going back to the West Wing. We’re not going to the Capitol.’ Mr Trump then used his free hand to lunge towards Bobby Engel and when Mr. Ornato recounted this story for me, he had motioned towards his clavicles.”

She also said that White House lawyer Pat Cipollone warned her that if Trump went to the Capitol to follow his supporters on Jan.6, they "would be charged with every crime."

– Erin Mansfield and Merdie Nzang

Hutchinson: White House counsel warns of Trump being charged if he marched on Capitol

Hutchinson, an aide to former President Donald Trump, said White House counsel Pat Cipollone voiced concerns repeatedly about Trump’s plan to march to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as potentially illegal.

“Please make sure we don’t go up to the Capitol, Cassidy,” Hutchinson quoted Cipollone as telling her the morning of Jan. 6. “Keep in touch with me. We’re going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen.”

Trump never walked to the Capitol. But he said he would during his speech on the Ellipse that morning. Cipollone warned Hutchinson that Trump could be charged with obstructing justice or defrauding the count of Electoral College ballots if he did that.

“We need to make sure that this doesn’t happen,” Hutchinson quoted Cipollone as telling her Jan. 3. “This would be legally a terrible idea for us. We have serious legal concerns if we go up to the Capitol that day.”

– Bart Jansen

Trump wanted to go to the Capitol with Jan. 6 protesters

Multiple White House aides told the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack that Trump wanted to accompany the Jan. 6 rally attendees on their march to the Capitol.

Max Miller, former White House aide, said Trump had a desire to drive down to the Capitol after his speech “came up” in conversation.

“He brought it up. He said ‘I wanted to go down to the Capitol.’”

Another former White House aide, Nick Luna, said Trump wanted to “march” to the Capitol with the protestors. “I was aware of the desire of the president to potentially march, or accompany the rally attendees to the Capitol.”

– Kenneth Tran

Hutchinson: Trump's lawyers were concerned he was inciting a riot

Hutchinson told the committee that White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and other lawyers stressed to Trump and aides that marching to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, could expose him to a number of criminal charges – including inciting a riot.

It would look like "we were inciting a riot or were encouraging a riot," Hutchinson recalled the White House counsel saying.

A riot is exactly what happened when Trump's supporters showed up at the Capitol after Trump's fiery rally speech.

Other potential charges included obstruction of justice and defrauding the electoral vote count, Hutchinson said in quoting White House lawyers.

– David Jackson

Trump attorneys worried about legal ramifications of Trump’s speech on Jan. 6

Hutchinson said Trump lawyers had “many discussions” on the morning of Jan. 6 about their concerns of what Trump planned to say in his speech outside the White House.

Eric Herschmann, one of the attorneys, said Trump would be “foolish” to include language that the president requested in which the president would say, “We're gonna march the Capitol. I'll be there with you. Fight for me. Fight for what we're doing. Fight for the movement.”

Later, Trump attorney Pat Cipollone said it would be a “legally terrible idea for us” if Trump followed through and marched to the Capitol while Congress counted electoral votes.

– Joey Garrison

Meadows had 'lack of reaction' to violence at the Capitol

Hutchinson, principal aide to chief of staff Mark Meadows, said she tried repeatedly to tell Meadows about violence at the Capitol while Capitol Police were being overrun by attackers.

A couple of times before she was able to tell him, she opened a door to a car he was in, and he closed it. She said a backlog of information she needed to relay to him built up. When she was finally able to pass on information about violence at the Capitol, she said he barely reacted.

“He almost had a lack of reaction,” Hutchinson said. “I remember him saying, ‘All right,’ something to the effect of, ‘How much longer does the president have left in his speech?’”

– Erin Mansfield

Despite threat of violence, Trump was 'furious' there was extra space at Ellipse

In text messages between former Deputy Chief of Staff Anthony Ornado and former aide to Mark Meadows, Cassidy Hutchinson, Trump was “f—ing furious,” at there being extra space at the Ellipse prior to the Capitol attack.

“He was furious because he wanted the area that we had on the Ellipse to be maxed out at capacity for all attendees.” Trump was told that everyone who wanted to attend was already there, but Hutchinson said he was still angry.

When looking at photos of the crowd, Trump was “very concerned about the shot, meaning the photograph that we would get because the rally space wasn’t full.”

– Kenneth Tran

Rally attendees had weapons

"People who willingly entered the enclosed area for President Trump's speech so they could attend the rally had weapons and other items that were confiscated," Rep. Liz Cheney said.

Police said they saw people armed with AR-15 walking toward the White House.

– Merdie Nzanga

Meadows stared at phone while told about weapons on Jan. 6

Hutchinson said Meadows did not look up from his phone when Tony Ornato, White House deputy chief of staff of operations, informed him that rioters who were gathered for a Trump rally outside the White House on Jan. 6 had weapons.

She recalled Meadows remained looking down at this phone for a few seconds. He then asked her what she was hearing.

“And I looked at Tony and I was like, ‘Sorry, I just told you about what was happening.'"

Trump supporters with weapons later made their way down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol.

– Joey Garrison

Trump didn't 'care that they have weapons. They’re not here to hurt me'

In the backstage area of Trump’s rally held on Jan. 6, Hutchinson overheard Trump tell staff that he didn’t care whether people had weapons, to let them into the rally area because “they’re not here to hurt me.”

Hutchinson said Trump was upset at the size of his rally crowd and was primarily angry that staff wasn’t letting through his supporters that were carrying weapons.

“Let the people in, take the f–ing mags away,” Trump said, referring to magnetrometers, or metal detectors.

– Katherine Swartz

Hutchinson: Security chief briefed Trump about weapons in Ellipse crowd

Hutchinson said the deputy chief of staff, Tony Ornato, notified Trump before 10 a.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, about people on the Ellipse carrying weapons including flagpoles, sticks, spears, knives and guns including pistols and rifles.

Former chief of staff Mark Meadows didn’t react to his own briefing by Ornato. But then he looked up and said, ‘Have you talked to the president?’” according to Hutchinson. “Tony said, ‘Yes, sir. He’s aware too.’ He said, ‘All right, good.’”

The vice chair of the committee, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., asked Hutchinson to reinforce that Ornato had briefed the president about weapons at the location where he was about to give a speech.

“That’s what Mr. Ornato relayed to me,” Hutchinson said.

– Bart Jansen

Police saw men with rifles, handguns hiding in trees near Trump’s rally

On the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, police said there were men within walking distance of the ellipse armed with AR-15-style rifles and Glock-style pistols. Some hid out in trees.

In radio communication played by the Jan. 6 committee Tuesday, police said two complainants saw the stock of an AR-15 under one man’s jacket. Another police officer described three men in fatigues walking with AR-15 rifles.

“Look for the don’t tread on me flag,” one officer said describing a man in a tree. “American flag face mask. Cowboy boots. Weapon on the right side hip.”

– Erin Mansfield

Intelligence reports showed potential for violence of Jan. 6

Hutchinson testified that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Ornado had received intelligence reports saying there was potential for violence on Jan. 6.

As deputy chief of staff, Ornado was responsible for security protocols between the White House and the Secret Service, which also received reports of violence and weapons in the leadup to Jan. 6.

– Katherine Swartz

Aide recalled hearing 'Oathkeeper' and 'Proud Boys' during Jan. 6 planning

Cassidy Hutchinson said that while in the White House, she heard the words “Oathkeeper” and “Proud Boys” as Jan. 6 drew closer.

“I recall hearing the words ‘Oathkeeper’ and the words ‘Proud Boys,’ closer to the planning of the January 6 rally when Mr. Giuliani would be around,” said Hutchinson, in deposition to the Jan. 6 committee.

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., also revealed that on Jan. 3, U.S. Capitol Police issued a report noting “that the Proud Boys and other groups planned to be in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6,” and that they targeted Congress rather than counter-protestors.

– Kenneth Tran

Learn more:Cassidy Hutchinson to testify at Jan. 6 hearing. Who is the former aide to Mark Meadows?

Hutchinson: DNI Ratcliffe considered Trump fighting election results ‘dangerous’

Hutchinson said the director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe, avoided involvement in the administration’s post-election agenda of fighting the results of the 2020 election.

Ratcliffe, a former Republican member of the House from Texas, thought searching for missing ballots and challenging election results in specific states would hurt former President Donald Trump’s legacy, according to Hutchinson.

“He had expressed concern that it could spiral out of control and potentially be dangerous either for our democracy or the way that things were going for the Sixth,” Hutchinson said in videotaped testimony to the committee. “He felt that there could be dangerous repercussions.”

– Bart Jansen

Hutchinson: Trump and top aides knew that Jan. 6 could get dangerous

Hutchinson recounted how a number of White House officials expressed fears that the Jan. 6, 2021, election protests could get violent because of extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers - and that Trump had to know as well.

On tape, Hutchison talked about how national security adviser Robert O'Brien wanted to meet with Meadows about the potential for violence.

"I was apprehensive about the 6th," Hutchinson told the committee at one point.

The committee is trying to prove that Trump and his allies knew that Jan. 6 could get dangerous – yet egged on their supporters anyway.

– David Jackson

‘Scared and nervous’ after talking to Giuliani, Meadows

Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to Mark Meadows, said she started feeling “scared and nervous” about what could happen on Jan. 6 after talking to Meadows about comments made by Rudy Giuliani.

Hutchinson relayed Giuliani’s comments to Meadows.

“He didn't look up from his phone and said something to the effect of there's a lot going on … Things might get real, real bad on January 6,” Meadows said, according to Hutchinson.

“That evening was the first moment that I remember feeling scared and nervous for what could happen on January 6,” Hutchinson said.

– Joey Garrison

Meadows told aide, ‘Things might get real, real bad’

Former President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows told his principal aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, that “Things might get real, real bad on Jan. 6,” according to Hutchinson’s testimony on Tuesday.

Hutchinson said went to Meadows after walking Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani to his car on the evening of Jan. 2, 2021, four days before the insurrection attempt. Giuliani asked her, “Cass, are you excited for the sixth?” she testified. “It’s going to be a great day.”

When Hutchinson asked Giuliani what was going to happen on Jan. 6, she says he told her, “We’re going to the Capitol. It’s going to be great. The president’s going to be there. He’s going to look powerful.” He also told her to go to Meadows: “Talk to the chief about it.”

– Erin Mansfield

Who is Cassidy Hutchinson?

Hutchinson was a special assistant to the president for legislative affairs and aide to Meadows. She told the panel she attended key meetings and often knew about meetings involving Trump and Meadows.

“Almost all, if not all, meetings Mr. Trump had, I had insight on,” Hutchinson told the panel.

Hutchinson described White House strategy sessions where lawmakers discussed how to reject electors from specific states. She said how Meadows communicated with encrypted applications such as Signal. She said Meadows burned documents in his office fireplace after meeting with Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., according to reports in The New York Times and Politico.

And Hutchinson said Meadows described Trump as speaking approvingly of rioters chanting "Hang Mike Pence" while ransacking the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump denied using the phrase. Meadows has defied a committee subpoena to testify, and the House cited him for contempt.

What did Hutchinson say about White House meetings with lawmakers?

Hutchinson named the lawyers and lawmakers who met repeatedly with White House officials during December to challenge electors in several states Trump lost.

She said the strategy sessions in person and by phone included Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Jody Hice of Georgia, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Debbie Lesko of Arizona and Perry.

What did Hutchinson say about fake electors?

Trump's lawyer John Eastman proposed a scheme for seven states President Joe Biden won to submit alternate sets of electors to Congress, to potentially delay certification of the results or overturn the election.

After White House officials met with advisers outside the executive branch, such as Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Hutchinson said the White House counsel's office called the strategy "not legally sound," according to one of her depositions.

She said the counsel office's guidance ran along the lines of: "That's not legal, we're not putting ourselves in that line of fire" or "Don't raise that to Mr. Trump, it's not appropriate, and it's not a legal theory we want to entertain right now."

What has Hutchinson said about pardons?

Hutchinson described in videotaped testimony Thursday how lawmakers who attended the meeting Dec. 21, 2020, such as Biggs, Brooks, Gaetz, Gohmert and Perry, sought pardons.

John McEntee, former director of the White House presidential personnel office, also described Trump as considering a blanket pardon. And Eric Herschmann, a former White House lawyer, said there was a general discussion of pardons for those who defended Trump.

"I guess Mr. Gaetz and Mr. Brooks, I know, have both advocated for there'd be a blanket pardon for members involved in that meeting," Hutchinson said. "Mr. Gaetz was personally pushing for a pardon, and he was doing so since early December."

Each of the lawmakers denied wrongdoing. Biggs, Gohmert and Perry denied asking for a pardon.

Gaetz called the investigation a witch hunt. Brooks defended his pardon request by saying Democrats could abuse the judicial process by prosecuting Republicans.

What did we learn on Thursday?

Here are three highlights from the committee's last hearing on Thursday:

Trump wanted the DOJ to "lend credibility" to his claims of election fraud and told agency heads to "leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen," according to evidence.

Trump sought to replace then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen with Clark, an environmental lawyer. The committee presented a draft letter written by Clark addressed to Georgia legislative leaders which falsely alluded to possible voter fraud in key states.

A roster of GOP lawmakers, including Reps. Mo Brooks of Alabama, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Andy Biggs of Arizona, asked for presidential pardons the day after Jan. 6, 2021, according to aides.

Hutchinson: Meadows traveled to Georgia to monitor vote count

Meadows traveled Dec. 22, 2020, to Cobb County, Georgia, where he met without an appointment with Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs to visit a building where ballot signatures were being audited. Hutchinson said Meadows was visiting his son in Georgia for Christmas, so monitoring the ballot counting was convenient.

"He wanted to do more of a status check to see where they were at with things, if they had thoughts that they needed any more resources, if there was anything that the White House could do to help ease the process along," Hutchinson said.

Why is the panel holding this hastily called hearing?

The hearing, which was announced Monday after committee members said they wouldn't hold another until late July, will be the sixth in June.

Previous sessions featured testimony about police injuries during the riot, about former President Trump's aides telling him lost the election, and his pressure on state officials, Vice President Mike Pence and on Justice Department officials.

The chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said Thursday the investigation continues and new information is pouring in.

"Those hearings have spurred an influx of new information that the committee and our investigators are working to assess," Thompson said.

Documentary evidence

Among the new evidence, a British documentarian provided the panel with previously unreleased recordings of exclusive interviews with Trump, his children and former Vice President Mike Pence before and after the Capitol attack.

Alex Holder said in a tweeted statement he began the project in September 2020 and hadn’t expected the recordings to be subpoenaed. His lawyer said the Trump's had no editorial control over the video.

The recordings are scheduled to be part of a three-part series to be released this summer called, “Unprecedented.”

Donald Trump aides left speechless by Cassidy Hutchinson ...

(CNN) Aides to former President Donald Trump were left speechless amid the first half of Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony on Tuesday , acknowledging to CNN that her testimony was "a bombshell" with potentially huge repercussions for Trump.

Trump was already bracing for an explosive day of testimony from Hutchinson, who previously told the House select committee that the former President approved of rioters chanting violent threats against Vice President Mike Pence on January 6, 2021

"This is a bombshell. It's stunning. It's shocking. The story about 'The Beast' -- I don't have words. It's just stunning," said one Trump adviser, referring to the presidential limousine.

"This paints a picture of Trump completely unhinged and completely losing all control which, for his base, they think of him as someone who is in command at all times. This completely flies in the face of that," the adviser added.

The Trump adviser, who was in a group text chat with several other Trump aides and allies as the hearing played out, said that "no one is taking this lightly."

"For the first time since the hearings started, no one is dismissing this," the adviser said.

In a statement to CNN, Trump spokeswoman Liz Harrington sought to dismiss the stunned reactions from some allies of the former President.

"The only thing 'stunning' is that the Unselect Committee would run with such easily refutable and ridiculous falsehoods that are laughable on their face," Harrington said.

Another Trump ally told CNN the testimony from Hutchinson, a former top aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, would seal Meadows' fate as "persona non grata" to the former President.

"This is one of the reasons [Trump] is furious with Meadows. He was already iced out but now he will be persona non grata," this person said.

The startling revelations from Hutchinson's testimony about Trump's erratic behavior and state of mind on January 6 could make it easier for Republican presidential hopefuls to challenge the former President in a primary should he run, the Trump ally added.

"This is basically a campaign commercial for (Florida Gov.) Ron DeSantis 2024," said the Trump ally.

Trump claims he hardly knows Hutchinson

Trump, as he often does with aides and allies with whom he was once close but later turned against him, claimed on Tuesday that he "hardly know[s]" Hutchinson and personally rejected a request she made to join his post-presidency staff at Mar-a-Lago.

"When she requested to go with certain others of my team to Florida after my having served a full term in office, I personally turned her request down," Trump said on Truth Social during Hutchinson's live testimony.

Trump attempted to cast Hutchinson's testimony on Tuesday as revenge, claiming she was "very upset and angry that I didn't want her" at his Palm Beach residence.

The former President's attempt to distance himself from Hutchinson, whom he described as "bad news" on Tuesday, came after the committee showed renderings of the West Wing to demonstrate just how close she was to the Oval Office as an assistant to Meadows. Multiple former White House aides also publicly vouched for Hutchinson's proximity to Trump and his chief of staff before and during her appearance on Tuesday.

"Anyone downplaying Cassidy Hutchinson's role or her access in the West Wing either doesn't understand how the Trump [White House] worked or is attempting to discredit her because they're scared of how damning this testimony is," former White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews tweeted

In response to this, one former White House aide said, "Everyone high up at the (White House) knew her. And even if Trump didn't know her name, he most certainly recognized her. She traveled on (Air Force One) with Mark for every trip." Additionally, this former aide told CNN that Tuesday's testimony was 100% believable given what the aide had experienced while working in the Trump White House.

The most surprising episode to some aides so far was when Hutchinson recounted an incident she testified to hearing about secondhand from Tony Ornato, a Secret Service agent who also served as White House deputy chief of staff, where Trump allegedly tried to lunge for the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle so he could be driven to the Capitol on January 6. Following her testimony, a Secret Service official familiar with the matter told CNN that Ornato denies telling Hutchinson the former President had grabbed the wheel or assaulted an agent on his detail. This official said the agency notified the committee Tuesday afternoon that it will make Ornato and Bobby Engel, another agent who was on Trump's detail on January 6, available to testify under oath. As previously reported by CNN, both agents are prepared to testify that neither incident inside the presidential vehicle occurred.

US Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement Tuesday that the agency planned "to respond on the record to the Committee regarding the new allegations surfaced in" Hutchinson's testimony.

Trump allies and the former President quickly latched on to the news that Ornato and Engel were prepared to deny the incident under oath as part of their efforts to discredit Hutchinson's testimony -- and it appeared to be working to change perspectives inside the former President's orbit. One of the Trump advisers who was initially left speechless by Hutchinson's appearance on Tuesday later told CNN that Ornato's and Engel's willingness to dispute her testimony "completely changed" his own view and "the dynamic of the hearings."

"They are probably risking their careers. Decorated careers," the adviser said.

Trump was nervous about testimony

JUST WATCHED Ex-aide was backstage with Trump at his Jan. 6 rally. Here's what she heard him say Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Ex-aide was backstage with Trump at his Jan. 6 rally. Here's what she heard him say 02:52

Trump has previously denied reporting on Hutchinson's leaked testimony, claiming on his Truth Social platform earlier this month that he "never said, or even thought of saying, 'Hang Mike Pence.'"

"This is either a made up story by somebody looking to become a star, or fake news!" he wrote at the time.

But a person close to Trump said he was nervous about Tuesday's hearing, which features live testimony from Hutchinson. Prior to the committee's announcement on Monday, this person said Trump was feeling triumphant amid back-to-back Supreme Court decisions protecting a right to conceal carry a gun and ending the constitutional right to abortion.

"He definitely wasn't expecting a twist like this," said the person close to Trump.

The former President and his allies are planning to cast Hutchinson as a junior aide who had little influence inside the West Wing, despite her proximity to both the then-President and his then-chief of staff. Hutchinson served in the Office of Legislative Affairs prior to becoming a top aide to Meadows and was an eyewitness to several key episodes leading up to January 6, in addition to witnessing some of Trump's real-time reactions that day.

Trump was specifically concerned about what Hutchinson could say about his state of mind and response to the rioters on January 6, said a second person close to him.

Meadows on high alert

Hutchinson's proximity to Meadows placed the former White House chief of staff on high alert ahead of Tuesday's hearing.

Hutchinson "operated like an executive assistant to him," said a person familiar with their relationship and her insight into his day-to-day schedule, conversations, and interactions with Trump is unrivaled.

"I think the committee has held their fire on Meadows so far but today's going to be a Meadows day," the person said.

Meadows personally promoted Hutchinson from the White House Office of Legislative Affairs to his West Wing office, where this person said "she was given enormous access and enormous visibility" into his relationship with Trump and several top GOP lawmakers.

A second person familiar with the matter said Hutchinson received zero support from Meadows as she became entangled in the January 6 committee's investigation but has remained in touch with some of his other aides.

Now, Meadows and his allies are worried that could come back to haunt him.

They are watching Tuesday's hearing closely to see what new information Hutchinson reveals in her sworn testimony, said the second source, who noted that Meadows is specifically concerned that her appearance could further strain his relationship with Trump.

Trump has privately complained to allies in recent months about text messages that Meadows turned over to the House panel before halting his cooperation, and a book Meadows wrote that contained startling new details about the severity of Trump's battle with Covid-19 also angered the former president.

This story has been updated with additional reporting Wednesday.

Takeaways from Monday's January 6 hearing - CNNPolitics

(CNN) The House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol detailed Monday how those around then-President Donald Trump told him he lost the 2020 election -- but he refused to listen, turning instead to his attorney Rudy Giuliani to embrace false claims that the election was stolen.

The hearing Monday was one witness short from what was planned , but the panel heard testimony from a former Fox News digital politics editor, a conservative lawyer, a former US attorney and a former Republican election official -- who all said it was clear President Joe Biden won the election and Trump's claims of fraud were nonsense.

Here are the key takeaways from the panel's second hearing this month about Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the violence in the Capitol on January 6.

Stepien surprise sets off a scramble -- but committee quickly adapts

The committee surprised many observers Sunday when it announced that Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien would be testifying in-person at Monday's hearing. But Stepien had a surprise of his own on Monday morning, when he found out that his wife went into labor, so he pulled out of the hearing.

This whirlwind of events forced the committee to scramble -- and they handled it deftly, albeit after a 45-minute delay.

Lawmakers and committee staff were obviously prepared with video clips from Stepien's private deposition. And they played a lot of footage from his testimony Monday, which revealed new details about his conversations with Trump and how he advised the President not to prematurely declare victory on election night.

In some ways, the outcome gave the Democratic-run committee more power to control what the public heard from Stepien. He wasn't in the room to say his piece, which could have included some defenses of Trump and some pushback against the committee. Instead, the panel could pick and choose which deposition clips it played, and they focused like a laser on the most damaging material for Trump.

Lengthy depositions take place of witness testimony

Stepien's testimony wasn't the committee's only use of depositions on Monday. The panel played lengthy portions of former Attorney General William Barr's deposition with the committee, where he described in detail why Trump's fraud claims were "bogus" and why he has seen nothing since to convince him there was fraud.

"There was never an indication of interest in what the actual facts were," Barr said in video of his deposition played Monday. "I was somewhat demoralized, because I thought, 'Boy, if he really believes this stuff, he has lost contact with -- he's become detached from reality if he really believes this stuff.' "

The committee did not invite Barr to testify publicly for Monday's hearing, but the minutes of his deposition that played made it feel at times as though he was there.

The video depositions have also given the committee the chance to show testimony from others in Trump's inner circle -- including Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner -- without having to bring them in to testify. And by just showing video depositions, the committee controls which soundbites are aired.

The hearing is illustrating they key role played by Barr in setting the tone for "Team Normal," the group of campaign and White House officials who were trying to advise Trump the fraud claims were bogus.

It's not for a lack of trying to find fraud. Barr had issued a controversial memo weeks earlier that allows prosecutors to look at election crime claims even before certification of the vote. Barr's move had prompted a top public integrity official at the Justice Department to resign. Barr looked for fraud and didn't find it.

JUST WATCHED Trump trashes Jan 6. committee. Hear committee member's response Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Trump trashes Jan 6. committee. Hear committee member's response 01:57

Barr becomes debunker-in-chief

The Democratic-run committee has featured clips from Barr's deposition more than any other witness so far, and they interviewed more than 1,000 people as part of their yearlong investigation. These clips have established Barr as the highest-ranking Trump administration official to affirm the legitimacy of the election results and disavow Trump's relentless effort to claim that the election was tainted by fraud.

During Monday's hearing, Barr dismantled specific Trump-backed claims about illegal "vote dumps" in Detroit, nationwide vote-rigging by Dominion with its election machines, and other conspiracy theories.

Unprompted, Barr even went out of his way to criticize " 2,000 Mules ," the film created by right-wing activist Dinesh D'Souza, a convicted felon who claims that the 2020 election was stolen. (In a deposition clip played Monday, Barr laughed off the film and said it was "completely lacking" in evidence.)

Barr said the theories Trump supported were "idiotic" and "amateurish" and "detached from reality." This rhetoric is strikingly close to what top Democrats have said all along about Trump's fraud claims.

To be clear, Barr is still a hardline conservative. Just a few weeks ago, he made several false claims in a Fox News interview about the Trump-Russia investigation, and backed up Trump's baseless assertions that the entire probe was a fabricated "hoax" perpetrated by Democratic operatives and the FBI.

Committee argues Trump peddled fraud claims in bad faith after he was personally told were not legitimate

One of the primary areas of focus of Monday's hearing was to underscore the idea that Trump and some of his allies continued to peddle false claims of election fraud after they were personally told those claims were not legitimate.

The committee made the argument that Trump was repeatedly told by his own top officials, including Barr and Stepien, that the myriad of fraud claims he was pushing were groundless and were certainly not evidence that the election was stolen.

"I specifically raised the Dominion voting machines, which I found to be among the most disturbing allegations -- disturbing in the sense that I saw absolutely zero basis for the allegations, but they were made in such a sensational way that they obviously were influencing a lot of people, members of the public," Barr said during his deposition, according to a video played Monday.

Yet, Trump and some of his allies continued to push these false claims all the way through January in what the committee attempted to show was a bad faith effort to overturn the election despite consistently being told those claims were not valid.

During their December 2020 Oval Office confrontation, Barr said that Trump gave him a report that claimed "absolute proof" the Dominion voting machines had been rigged. Barr said that the report "looked very amateurish to me," and he "didn't see any supporting information" for the fraud claims.

Barr would resign in December 2020 shortly after his last meeting with Trump and was replaced by acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, who also faced a similar barrage of pressure from the former President to investigate the same unfounded election fraud claims that Barr had warned him were baseless.

Ultimately, Trump considered replacing Rosen with a relatively obscure environmental lawyer, Jeffrey Clark, who had demonstrated a willingness to pursue the fraud claims that other senior DOJ officials would not.

Clark drafted a "Proof of Concept memo" for overturning the 2020 election and sent it to top Justice Department officials on December 28, 2020, two weeks after Barr's resignation. That memo relied heavily on many of the same debunked fraud claims that Trump had already been told had no merit.

At the same time, Trump's allies were pushing the Justice Department to take Trump's false stolen election claims to the Supreme Court in an effort to prevent the outcome from several key swing states from being counted. The brief sent to Rosen and other top DOJ officials by Trump's personal assistant at the White House cited the same report on Michigan voting machine irregularities Barr had told Trump was "amateurish" and failed to include any supporting information.

The committee listens to a video clip of of former Attorney General William Barr as the House select committee meets to reveal its findings of a year-long investigation.

Committee focuses on 'Team Normal' vs Rudy standoff

The committee focused on testimony Monday that distinguished between two groups advising Trump in the days after the election: "Team Normal" and those who were with Rudy Giuliani pushing baseless claims of voter fraud.

"We called them kind of my team and Rudy's team," Stepien said in deposition video played by the committee. "I didn't mind being characterized as being part of Team Normal."

The committee traced back the divide to election night, when Stepien and others were telling Trump it was too early to call the race, while Giuliani told him to declare victory.

"The President disagreed with that. I don't recall the particular words. He thought I was wrong. He told me so," Stepien said of a conversation with Trump on election night. "And that he was going to go in a different direction."

The committee worked to undercut the wild claims Giuliani and Sidney Powell were making about votes being changed and foreign countries being involved -- all of which were untrue. They showed video from depositions Giuliani and Powell juxtaposed with officials like Barr and Stepien saying the claims were simply nonsense.

The committee even took a dig at Giuliani and his state of mind on Election Night, playing video from Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller's deposition where he said that Giuliani "had too much to drink."

"I mean, the mayor was definitely intoxicated," Miller said. "But I did not know his level of toxic intoxication when he spoke with the President, for example."

Committee reveals details of investigation into campaign's finances

One of the key details the January 6 committee revealed during Monday's hearing was how Trump's lies about the election turned into millions of dollars in fundraising for Trump's campaign and the political action committee he created after the election.

The panel made the case that Trump's false claims about voter fraud dovetailed with his campaign's fundraising effort -- resulting in $250 million being donated to Trump and his allies, including solicited requests for an "official election defense fund," that did not exist.

"The 'Big Lie' was also a big rip-off," Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, said during Monday's hearing.

During the committee's investigation, went to court to try to pry loose financial documents like bank records that were connected to January 6. Monday's hearing was the first indication of how the panel plans to use those records in its hearings.

Still, the committee didn't show a ton of detail about what financial documents it had obtained, and more could be unveiled in the hearings to come.

Committee connects fraud to the violence

After a two-hour hearing focused on debunking Trump's lies about the election, the committee ended its second hearing by returning to the violence that occurred at the Capitol on January 6.

Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson introduced a video showing that those who went to Washington on January 6 and breached the Capitol did so believing the election lies.

"We know they were there because of Donald Trump. Now we hear some of the things they believed," Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, said.

In the video, Trump's supporters said they believed that the baseless claims about Dominion software and about how Trump's votes were not counted.

"I voted early, it went well except for you can't really trust the software, Dominion software all over," one person said.

The return to the violence at the Capitol is a theme that's likely to continue through the opening series of hearings detailing how Trump tried to overturn his election loss in the lead-up to January 6, including hearings planned for this week about Trump's pressure campaign against the Justice Department and his Vice President Mike Pence.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Monday he plans to watch all of the hearings of the committee -- and that the prosecutors handling criminal cases stemming from the January 6 insurrection are watching, too. Garland has faced mounting pressure from Democrats to pursue a criminal case against Trump and his allies related to January 6.

This story has been updated with additional developments Monday.

Zachary Cohen
Jeremy Herb
Marshall Cohen

Trump mobilizing his MAGA allies to defend him ahead of January 6 ...

(CNN) Former President Donald Trump has made it clear he is looking for cover from his closest allies around the upcoming public hearings by the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection -- and some prominent names in Congress and the Republican Party are answering the call.

Trump's team has communicated to some of his most loyal acolytes on Capitol Hill that the former President wants people vigorously defending him and pushing back on the select committee while the public hearings play out, according to GOP sources familiar with the request.

Committee members have teased that the hearings could be focused on Trump's direct role in undermining the election results. The committee has been working toward a thesis that Trump's obsession with losing the election and his peddling of false claims about the results is what laid the groundwork for the violent and deadly riot at the Capitol.

Trump's insistence that his allies defend his honor has mobilized Republicans both on and off the Hill into action, with a broad range of plans to protect him. This despite the belief by some Republicans that they should draw attention away from January 6 and instead continue to beat the drum of the present day economic and cultural issues that have resonated with voters.

In Congress, the targeted response to the hearings will be overseen by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, who has been coordinating the response effort with GOP members.

The California Republican is facing added pressure to show his support for Trump after he was caught on tape earlier this year criticizing the former President and some of his GOP colleagues in the immediate aftermath of the Capitol attack.

JUST WATCHED See how the Capitol Riot on January 6 unfolded Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH See how the Capitol Riot on January 6 unfolded 04:49

The main player in keeping Republicans on message will be House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York, who emerged as one of Trump's loudest defenders during his first impeachment and replaced Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney in Republican leadership. Sources say Stefanik will be tasked with coordinating the party's messaging response and ensuring key allies and surrogates have talking points.

"Just like impeachment, at the urging of President Trump and his team, Stefanik is going to play an outsized role defending President Trump and House Republicans on the issue of election integrity," said a senior GOP source.

Two members whom House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected from serving on the select committee will also play a key part on the messaging front: Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, who chairs the conservative Republican Study Committee; and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who had a hand in the effort to overturn the 2020 election results.

"We're going to push back," Banks told CNN. "There were serious failures that occurred on January 6 that have got to be fixed. This sham committee hasn't done anything to address them."

Banks and other Republicans, including Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois, the top Republican on the House Administration Committee, have also been working on their own counter investigation into January 6 that focuses squarely on the security failures from that day. Banks said they are putting the "finishing touches" on a report outlining their findings and expect it to be released in "a matter of weeks," which could coincide with the tail end of the select committee hearings.

Part of the challenge for Republicans — especially after they decided to boycott the select committee — is that they have little insight into what the investigation has uncovered and what might be revealed in the public hearings, making it harder for them to settle on a precise strategy.

Another is the prospect that the committee will lean heavily on testimony from former aides of Vice President Mike Pence to help make their case -- a scenario that could force Republicans to choose sides in a more public way than they have done so previously.

Trump allies and some Republican operatives are already expecting testimony from Pence's former aides to be featured prominently in the hearings -- only adding to the already simmering animosity between the two camps.

JUST WATCHED 'Extraordinary': NYT reporter says Pence aide gave warning before January 6 Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH 'Extraordinary': NYT reporter says Pence aide gave warning before January 6 02:07

While the Republican House Conference has its plans, there is a more specific challenge for the five members who have been subpoenaed by the committee as part of their investigation. McCarthy, Jordan, Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama and Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona have all resisted attempts by the committee to sit for depositions and provide documents as part of their investigation.

All five run the risk that the committee has information about their role in the attempts to undermine the election results or the riot itself that could be revealed during the hearing.

Jordan and other lawmakers have attempted to pre-but that risk, by attempting to define the committee and its work as nothing more than a partisan political witch hunt. Jordan has outlined this argument during calls with conservative donors organized by Republican fundraising groups, including CPAC.

But those lawmakers and Republicans more broadly, are weighing whether they stand to benefit from a fulsome response -- especially considering they were given the chance to testify behind closed doors and have all refused to date.

From outside of the Hill, the Republican National Committee and Matt Schlapp, the chairman of Conservative Political Action Conference, are expected to be major players in the GOP's counter-attack, sources said. It's unclear, however, if Trump himself will make an appearance or publicly weigh in as the hearings are unfolding.

While the party's plans are still being fleshed out, the Republican pushback is likely to take the form of news conferences, op-eds, cable news appearances and social media posts, sources familiar with the discussions said. There's also been talk of a "war room" to better enable the GOP to unleash rapid, real-time responses to the hearings.

Trump is scheduled to meet next week with many of the players where his personal strategy and demands could become clearer. He will host a fundraiser for Stefanik on Monday and then the next day, huddle with members of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, which is home to some of his staunchest allies.

Push back or change the subject

But while the Republicans are willing to do Trump's bidding, there is real anxiety that pushing back too much will take focus away from the areas they believe will help them the most in the fall elections.

"We just need to reinforce the narrative that the Democrats are obsessed with Trump and the past and they aren't interested in dealing with the problems of the present," said a senior Republican operative working on Senate races across the country. "It's Biden, it's inflation, it's the border, it's gas prices. Most Americans aren't talking about January 6th."

Instead, some operatives are offering their clients talking points to prepare them for the inevitable questions that will arise around the hearing, but with the goal of steering the conversation back to domestic issues.

"We need to deal with things as they come up, but the goal is to stay on message," the operative said. "If we do our job right, we will show that we are focused the issues that most Americans are dealing with every single day."

That feeling is echoed by rank-and-file Republican members eager to reclaim the majority.

"Most Americans don't like what happened on January 6, but rate it pretty low on their importance list when compared to inflation, cost of gas, the border and crime," Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican who represents a Biden-won district, told CNN. "Once Pelosi kicked off two members on GOP side, which prior to this Congress has never been done in the history of the House, the perceived legitimacy of the Select Committee by our side is zero."

Others within the party, including lawmakers and operatives, have suggested that the best course of action may be to do nothing because they believe most Republican voters are paying very little attention to the upcoming hearings and the presentations are considered unlikely to change the public opinion among the GOP base.

"A lot of people feel we should not even push back," a source said, adding the thinking is to just let the committee keep doing what it is doing because it is actually hurting members politically and having a very limited impact on Republicans.

"There may be no competing, no formal push back in any way and no organizational cost because our power base isn't watching," they added.

But as with anything in Republican politics, the best laid plans could easily be blown up by Trump who may insist that his supporters demonstrate their support vocally and without reservation.

This story and headline have been updated.

Melanie Zanona
Zachary Cohen
Ryan Nobles

Official review of Trump phone logs from January 6 finds record is ...

Washington (CNN) In the seven hours during which White House records show no phone calls to or from then- President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, among the calls that are conspicuously absent is one Trump made to then-Vice President Mike Pence that morning from the Oval Office.

While the call is not specifically noted in the presidential diary or the presidential call log, its existence has been corroborated by multiple sources who were with Trump and Pence that day, including former aides who testified before the House select committee investigating the US Capitol attack.

And it's not the only call Trump is known to have made in that timeframe that is not reflected in the records.

The mystery of the seven-hour gap has fueled furious speculation as to why calls are missing. That includes allegations that Trump was using "burner phones" (which he has denied) or that the logs were purposely suppressed.

But the gap might have a less mysterious explanation.

According to multiple sources familiar with Trump's phone behavior and the White House switchboard records, the January 6 log reflects Trump's typical phone habits. He mainly placed calls through the switchboard when he was in the residence but rarely used it when he was in the Oval Office. The fact the log does not show calls on January 6, 2021, from the Oval Office is not unusual, said the sources, because Trump typically had staff either place calls directly for him on landlines or cell phones. Those calls would not be noted on the switchboard log.

The six pages of White House switchboard logs for January 6, 2021, are complete based on an official review of White House records, according to a source familiar with the matter. There are no missing pages and the seven-hour gap is likely explained by use of White House landlines, White House cell phones and personal cell phones that do not go through the switchboard.

The missing calls also underscore something more endemic: the imperfect and antiquated system of tracking a president's communications.

The White House call log is generated by a switchboard system that dates back to the 1960s, according to the National Archives. The version installed in 1963 was already considered "somewhat outdated" just two decades later.

And it's certainly not one suited for the era of cell phones and text messages or to a President well known for his efforts to circumvent official channels of communications.

Bypassing the call log

There could be various reasons that explain the gap in the call log itself.

One possibility is that Trump was speaking to people from a cell phone. As CNN has previously reported, Trump had a habit of using his and other people's phones to make or receive calls.

Another explanation could be that Trump had aides place direct calls from the Oval Office, bypassing the switchboard.

A former White House staffer who served in the Obama administration told CNN that if then-President Barrack Obama wanted to make a call to someone from the Oval Office, he would normally ask an aide seated nearby to dial the person. The aide would then call the number and hit transfer to connect the caller to the President.

That call would not go through the White House switchboard and therefore would not be recorded on the White House switchboard log, the former staffer said.

Another factor seems to be where Trump was when he made certain calls. All the calls noted from the January 6 log indicate they were made from the White House residence, suggesting Trump relied on the switchboard to put those calls through. The missing calls appear to start when the diary notes Trump has moved from the residence to the Oval Office.

Trump used the switchboard more often when he was in the private residence, according to multiple sources. But when he was in the Oval Office, the former President would often direct aides sitting outside his office to get certain lawmakers or allies of his on the phone.

Two former Trump officials believe this, plus the chaotic nature of the West Wing on January 6, is what led to the gaps in the call logs.

Calls also should have been documented in the Presidential Daily Diary, which is compiled by an Archives employee detailed to the White House. While it's supposed to include "impromptu moments such as staff member drop-ins and telephone calls," the diarist's account is only as good as the information he or she receives from the President's staff.

The former Obama staffer also acknowledged this process was more of an honor system and dependent on how meticulous aides serving in other administrations were or what instructions they were given.

No explanation has been given so far why calls known to have been made in the hours Trump was in the Oval Office are not documented in the presidential diary.

Chaotic record-keeping

Multiple sources have described the record-keeping during the Trump administration as generally chaotic. Those sources, as well as witnesses who have testified as part of previous congressional investigations related to the former President's conduct described Trump as deeply suspicious of the White House switchboard and detailed various ways he sought to avoid having records of certain phone calls from being kept.

A Senate Intelligence report from 2020 includes witness testimony from former aides saying that Trump regularly used the cellphone of his body man, Keith Schiller, to place calls to Republican operative Roger Stone because he did not want his to advisers to know they were talking.

"Trump hated people knowing who he spoke to, including from the residence at night when they went through the switchboard," one former Trump official told CNN.

When John Kelly was Trump's chief of staff, he monitored the switchboard to see who Trump was talking to. Trump would often tell people to hang up and call him back on his cellphone if he didn't want it showing up on the switchboard call log.

When Mark Meadows took over as chief of staff, sources said he restricted the number of White House officials who had access to the call logs, limiting the group to only a small number of top aides.

Filling in the gaps

Despite the gap in the call logs, the House select committee is relying on witness testimony, additional documents and phone records obtained via subpoena to begin piecing together who Trump spoke to that day.

This is especially true for the missing call to Pence. That call is a key point in the House's argument that Trump was taking part in criminal activity, as he kept pressuring Pence to block Congress from certifying the election. Trump has not been charged with any crime.

Pence's former national security adviser, Keith Kellogg, described the call in his testimony before the committee earlier this year, telling investigators that he and other top aides were in the Oval Office with Trump when it took place. He said he could only hear what Trump said, and not Pence's responses.

Kellogg's recounting of the conversation was cited in the committee's letter in late January to Trump's daughter, Ivanka, requesting that she too appear before the panel and cooperate in the probe.

"As January 6th approached, President Trump attempted on multiple occasions to persuade Vice President Pence to participate in his plan. One of the President's discussions with the Vice President occurred by phone on the morning of January 6th," the letter stated.

"You were present in the Oval Office and observed at least one side of that telephone conversation. General Keith Kellogg was also present in the Oval Office during that call, and has testified about that discussion," it added.

CNN reported last month that Ivanka Trump was in discussions to voluntarily appear before the committee for an interview. Others who witnessed the call take place have already testified.

Committee members have said that witness testimony is not the only way they have been able to fill in some of the gaps in official records like the White House logs and daily diary.

"Whether it's a witness who is unwilling to cooperate with us or whether there are gaps in documentation that we have received, we will get that information some other way," Rep. Stephanie Murphy told CNN+'s Kasie Hunt on "The Source" on Wednesday. "Those conversations weren't one-way conversations. There was somebody on the other side of those conversations and we'll get the information that way."

"We're triangulating basically from a lot of different angles and we are getting a fulsome picture of what happened in the run up to and on the day of January 6th," Murphy added.

Mississippi Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the select committee, told CNN on Wednesday the panel has not received any vice presidential phone log records from the National Archives.

But earlier this month, Thompson told CNN the committee had "started to receive" vice presidential records, without specifying which ones. The Archives has turned over a tranche of vice presidential records, as well as documents chronicling calls to the vice president that were White House records.

One call is noted in the presidential diary even though it is not in the call log that day.

A document obtained by the House is the President's private schedule, and it shows handwritten notes appearing to capture phone calls with Sen. Kelly Loeffler from 11:17-11:20 a.m., and with "VPOTUS" at 11:20 a.m. on January 6, 2021.

The presidential daily diary handed over to the panel does show Trump placed "a phone call to an unidentified person" at 11:17 a.m. on the morning of January 6 but does not make reference to the 11:20 a.m. call. Neither conversation is reflected in the White House call log.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

Zachary Cohen
Katelyn Polantz
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Ashley Semler

Mark Meadows' 2,319 text messages reveal Trump's inner circle ...

Washington (CNN) CNN has obtained 2,319 text messages that former President Donald Trump's White House chief of staff Mark Meadows sent and received between Election Day 2020 and President Joe Biden's January 20, 2021 inauguration.

The vast trove of texts offers the most revealing picture to date of how Trump's inner circle, supporters and Republican lawmakers worked behind the scenes to try to overturn the election results and then reacted to the violence that effort unleashed at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The logs, which Meadows selectively provided to the House committee investigating the January 6 attack, show how the former chief of staff was at the nexus of sprawling conspiracy theories baselessly claiming the election had been stolen. They also demonstrate how he played a key role in the attempts to stop Biden's certification on January 6.

The never-before-seen texts include messages from Trump's family -- daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner and son Donald Trump Jr. -- as well as White House and campaign officials, Cabinet members, Republican Party leaders, January 6 rally organizers, Rudy Giuliani, My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, Sean Hannity and other Fox hosts. There are also text exchanges with more than 40 current and former Republican members of Congress, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Mo Brooks of Alabama and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

The texts include everything from plans to fight the election results to surprising and unexpected reactions on January 6 from some of Trump's staunchest allies. At 2:28 p.m., Greene, the conservative firebrand who had helped to plan the congressional objections that day, texted Meadows with an urgent plea for help as the violence was unfolding at the Capitol.

"Mark I was just told there is an active shooter on the first floor of the Capitol Please tell the President to calm people This isn't the way to solve anything," Greene wrote. Meadows does not appear to reply.

More messages flooded in.

"Mark: he needs to stop this, now. Can I do anything to help?" Mick Mulvaney, Trump's former acting White House chief of staff, texted Meadows.

"It's really bad up here on the hill. They have breached the Capitol," Georgia Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk wrote.

"The president needs to stop this ASAP," texted GOP Rep. William Timmons of South Carolina.

"POTUS is engaging," Meadows sent in response to Loudermilk. "We are doing it," he texted to Timmons.

"Thanks. This doesn't help our cause," Loudermilk replied.

Shortly after, Donald Trump Jr. weighed in: "This his(sic) one you go to the mattresses on. They will try to fuck his entire legacy on this if it gets worse."

"TELL THEM TO GO HOME !!!" texted Trump's first chief of staff, Reince Priebus.

Heated rhetoric and conspiracy theories

The text messages CNN obtained begin on Election Day, November 3, 2020. Even before the election was called, Meadows was inundated with conspiracy theories about election fraud , strategies to challenge the results and pleas for Trump to keep fighting. The messages -- from GOP activists, donors, Republican members of Congress and state party officials -- appear to act as an echo chamber affirming Trump's false claims that the election was stolen. For months leading up to Election Day, Trump had claimed the only way he could lose was if the election was rigged.

Previously disclosed text messages showed that former Trump administration Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr. , each texted Meadows on November 4 and 5 with ideas for overturning the election.

On November 7, hours before the election was called, Perry texted Meadows again: "We have the data driven program that can clearly show where the fraud was committed. This is the silver bullet."

While Perry has previously denied CNN reporting about his text messages to Meadows, CNN has confirmed it's his cell phone and he signed this text, "Rick Perry," including his number.

Other texts, however, include hints of doubt expressed by members of Trump's team and even Meadows himself about the veracity of conspiracy theories being spread by Trump's "kraken" team -- outside attorneys working for Trump that included Giuliani and Sidney Powell.

Some key congressional allies who worked with Trump's campaign initially in its efforts to overturn the election, such as Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, ultimately soured on the approach as the January 6 congressional certification neared, CNN previously reported.

The texts also show how Trump allies were quick to deflect responsibility for the January 6 attack. Shortly after pro-Trump rioters breached the Capitol, one of his top aides began crafting a counter-narrative.

At 3:45 p.m., Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller suggested to Meadows and Trump aide Dan Scavino that Trump should tweet: "Call me crazy, but ideas for two tweets from POTUS: 1) Bad apples, likely ANTIFA or other crazed leftists, infiltrated today s peaceful protest over the fraudulent vote count. Violence is never acceptable! MAGA supporters embrace our police and the rule of law and should leave the Capitol now! 2) The fake news media who encouraged this summer s violent and radical riots are now trying to blame peaceful and innocent MAGA supporters for violent actions. This isn't who we are! Our people should head home and let the criminals suffer the consequences!"

Trump's allies in Congress appeared to get the message. At 3:52 p.m., Greene told Meadows: "Mark we don't think these attackers are our people. We think they are Antifa. Dressed like Trump supporters."

Five minutes later, Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, texted Meadows: "Cap Police told me last night they'd been warned that today there'd be a lot of Antifa dressed in red Trump shirts & hats & would likely get violent."

In the 16 months since January 6, hundreds of indictments have shown nearly all of those who breached the Capitol were in fact pro-Trump supporters.

While Greene was alarmed on January 6, by the next day she was apologizing that the efforts to block Biden's certification had failed.

"Yesterday was a terrible day. We tried everything we could in our objection to the 6 states. I'm sorry nothing worked. I don't think that President Trump caused the attack on the Capitol. It's not his fault," she wrote the morning of January 7. "Absolutely no excuse and I fully denounce all of it, but after shut downs all year and a stolen election, people are saying that they have no other choice."

Meadows replied, "Thanks Marjorie."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wears a "Trump Won" face mask as she arrives on the floor of the House to take her oath of office as a newly elected member of the 117th House of Representatives in Washington, U.S., January 3, 2021.

Greene is currently facing a legal challenge to disqualify her from running for Congress because of her alleged role in January 6. In court testimony Friday, the Georgia Republican repeatedly deflected or said she didn't remember what she had said around the events of January 6. The Meadows text logs offer a new glimpse into what she was telling the White House chief of staff in real time.

On December 31, Greene reached out to Meadows for advice about how to prepare for objections to certifying the election on January 6.

"Good morning Mark, I'm here in DC. We have to get organized for the 6th," Greene wrote. "I would like to meet with Rudy Giuliani again. We didn't get to speak with him long. Also anyone who can help. We are getting a lot of members on board. And we need to lay out the best case for each state."

Meadows does not appear to respond.

By January 17, Greene was suggesting ways to keep Trump in office, telling Meadows there were several Republicans in Congress who still wanted the then-President to declare martial law, which had been raised in a heated Oval Office meeting a month earlier.

Greene texted: "In our private chat with only Members, several are saying the only way to save our Republic is for Trump to call for Marshall (sic) law. I don't know on those things. I just wanted you to tell him. They stole this election. We all know. They will destroy our country next. Please tell him to declassify as much as possible so we can go after Biden and anyone else!"

Again, Meadows does not appear to respond.

What Meadows turned over

Meadows provided the cache of 2,319 messages to the January 6 committee in December 2021. But soon after, he stopped cooperating and refused to appear for a deposition. Ultimately, the House voted to hold the former White House chief of staff in contempt of Congress. The Justice Department has not yet announced whether it will charge Meadows.

Meadows has sued the House committee in an attempt to block the congressional subpoenas. And in a late-night court filing on Friday, the committee responded with new details revealing Meadows was warned ahead of time that January 6 could turn violent, according to testimony from Cassidy Hutchison, one of Meadows' former White House aides.

In addition, the committee released text messages Meadows exchanged with Republican members of Congress, including texts with Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania about a scheme to replace Justice Department leaders who opposed Trump's claims of election fraud.

In late December, Perry reached out to Meadows, connecting him to then-DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, who was pushing unfounded claims of voter fraud inside the Justice Department. Trump was considering firing the acting attorney general and installing Clark instead. Clark invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times when he spoke to the January 6 committee in February.

On December 26, Perry texted Meadows, "Mark, just checking in as time continues to count down. 11 days to 1/6 and 25 days to inauguration. We gotta get going!"

"Mark, you should call Jeff," he continued. "I just got off the phone with him and he explained to me why the principal deputy won't work especially with the FBI. They will view it as as (sic) not having the authority to enforce what needs to be done."

"I got it," Meadows responded. "I think I understand. Let me work on the deputy position."

On December 28, Perry reached out again: "Did you call Jeff Clark?" Meadows does not appear to respond.

Meadows withheld more than 1,000 messages from the committee on claims of privilege, the panel said in Friday's court filing. In his lawsuit, Meadows' attorney argued the former White House chief of staff "has been put in the untenable position of choosing between conflicting privilege claims."

Hannity to Meadows: 'Yes sir'

JUST WATCHED 'That's not OK': Bash reacts to Hannity's texts to Mark Meadows Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH 'That's not OK': Bash reacts to Hannity's texts to Mark Meadows 01:43

In addition to the texts the committee has released, CNN and other news organizations have previously published selections of text messages Meadows received from Lee, Roy, Trump Jr., Perry and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' wife, Ginni Thomas

The logs obtained by CNN include numerous messages from official White House cell phone numbers. Some have been identified by CNN, others are unknown.

There are also numerous group texts with Trump's inner circle. The various group chats include Meadows, Ivanka Trump, Trump Jr. and Kushner, as well as top advisers such as Hope Hicks, campaign manager Bill Stepien, Miller and Scavino, among others.

Some texts only include links to news reports and social media. Others appear to contain content that was cut-and-pasted and forwarded. The logs do not contain images or attachments.

Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump watch a video featuring Fox host Sean Hannity ahead of Trump's arrival to a campaign rally in Michigan on October 30, 2020.

Meadows' messages also include dozens of exchanges with Fox hosts, as well as journalists from the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Politico, Bloomberg, NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN.

Among Meadows' most frequent interactions were those with Fox's Sean Hannity, a well-known friend of Trump. Throughout the logs, Hannity both gives advice and asks for direction.

On the afternoon of Election Day, Hannity texted Meadows to ask about turnout in North Carolina.

Meadows responded: "Stress every vote matters. Get out and vote."

"Yes sir," Hannity replied. "On it. Any place in particular we need a push."

"Pennsylvania. NC AZ," Meadows wrote. "Nevada."

"Got it. Everywhere," Hannity said.

For the most part, Meadows' texts are short, and frequently he does not appear to reply at all. Some conversations include non sequiturs. It's unclear whether Meadows did not respond to the messages or if the logs are incomplete, because texts could also have been deleted or withheld for claims of privilege.

CNN reached out for comment to all individuals who sent text messages quoted in this story. Meadows and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for the January 6 committee declined to comment.

The fight to 'stop the steal'

The text messages provide a timeline showing how Trump's team searched all corners for evidence of election fraud and tried to overturn the election. Beginning on Election Day, Meadows was in the middle of it all, from connecting activists pushing conspiracy theories to strategizing with GOP lawmakers and rally organizers preparing for January 6.

The texts also show Meadows was dealing with everything from mediating a fight over who would be on the speaker's list for the January 6 rally to fielding requests to pay Giuliani's bills.

"Sir, we are airborne on the way to Michigan from Arizona. We're going to need a hotel for the team and two vehicles to pick us up," Bernie Kerik, a Giuliani associate, texted Meadows on December 1.

Reached for comment by CNN, Kerik confirmed the text was his and said that he never received a credit card for those travel expenses, paid for it himself and was later reimbursed.

Other texts show Meadows coordinating with GOP activists in the immediate aftermath of the election.

"Pls get 4 or 5 killers in remaining counts. Need outsiders who will torch the place. Local folks won't do it. Lawyers and operators. Get us in these states," American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp texted Meadows on November 4.

"I may need to get you and mercy (sic) to go to PA," Meadows responded, referring to Schlapp's wife, Mercedes, who is a former Trump White House aide.

On a few occasions, Trump family members weighed in. Ivanka Trump sent a note on November 5 to a group that included Kushner, Hicks, Stepien, Miller and Meadows: "You are all WARRIORS of epic proportions! Keep the faith and the fight."

Dozens of Republicans also offered support and advice to Meadows -- as well as perpetuated conspiracy theories that were gaining traction in right-wing media.

For instance, Rep. Ted Budd, a North Carolina Republican now running for Senate, suggested in a text on November 7 that Dominion Voting Systems could be connected to George Soros' company. Dominion has no corporate ties to Soros, a billionaire and frequent target of baseless conspiracy theories, according to a CNN fact check

On November 6, Rep. Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican, appeared to suggest that state legislatures should appoint electors "in the various states where there's been shenanigans," a move he acknowledged would be "highly controversial." In his text, he wrote the legislatures could appoint "a look doors," which is phonetically similar to electors.

On December 1, then-Attorney General William Barr infuriated Trump when he publicly stated that the Justice Department did not find widespread evidence of voter fraud. Nevertheless, Meadows received multiple texts pushing back, including from Schlapp later that day: "Happy to walk ag through our evidence. Its (sic) overwhelming."

The texts also show Meadows reached out to GOP officials in multiple states to lobby for Trump's cause. On two occasions, Meadows attempted to contact Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who was under attack from Trump for certifying Georgia's election for Biden.

"mr Secretary. Can you call the White House switchboard," Meadows wrote on December 5. "Your voicemail is full."

Raffensperger does not appear to reply to the messages.

Trump's efforts to overturn the election results in Georgia are under investigation by a district attorney in the Atlanta area.

Meadows also received text messages from GOP activists and local officials making outlandish claims, including allegations that "traitors inside our intel agencies" were committing election fraud, as well as baseless charges that voting equipment companies Dominion and Smartmatic had manipulated votes -- the same false claims being pushed by Giuliani and Powell.

Both companies have filed billion-dollar lawsuits over the false election claims, including against Fox News, right-wing media organizations, Giuliani, Powell and Lindell.

Throughout the two months, Meadows received dozens of messages from Arizona GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward, who offered what she claimed were examples and sources of voter fraud.

On December 9, she sent a text to Meadows letting him know she'd already reached out to Trump's executive assistant: "This guy says he's cracked the whole election fraud and wants to speak to someone. I sent his info to Molly Michael a few days ago, but I'm not sure it went anywhere."

"I will call him," Meadows responded.

MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell, speaks to reporters outside federal court in Washington, Thursday, June 24, 2021.

Another frequent texter was Lindell, one of the most vocal proponents of baseless election conspiracy theories. Even after courts had dismissed dozens of Trump's legal challenges, the My Pillow CEO was still pressing the White House.

"Everything Sidney has said is true! We have to get the machines and everything we already have proves the President won by millions of votes!" Lindell texted Meadows on December 20. "This is the biggest cover up of one of the worst crimes in history! I have spent over a million$ to help uncover this fraud and used my platform so people can get the word not to give up!"

Meadows replied, "Thanks brother. Pray for a miracle."

Reached for comment by CNN, Lindell confirmed the text was his. He told CNN that he has not spoken to Meadows since before January 20, 2021, and that at the time he was "just trying to get an appointment with the President."

Doubts about election fraud

While Trump and his allies publicly stuck by their claims that the election had been stolen, behind the scenes, Trump's inner circle -- including Meadows -- expressed some doubts. Trump's aides also questioned whether lawyers like Giuliani and Powell were doing more harm than good.

On November 6, Miller, Trump's campaign spokesman, texted a group, which included Ivanka Trump, Kushner, Hicks, Stepien, Scavino and Meadows, suggesting that the numbers in Philadelphia didn't back up claims about alleged election fraud there.

"One other key data point: In 2016, POTUS received 15.5% of the vote in Philadelphia County. Today he is currently at 18.3%. So he increased from his performance in 2016. In 2016, Philadelphia County made up 11.3% of the total vote in the state. As it currently stands, Philadelphia County only makes up 10.2% of the statewide vote tally. So POTUS performed better in a smaller share. Sen. (Rick) Santorum was just making this point on CNN - cuts hard against the urban vote stealing narrative," Miller wrote.

Jason Miller talks on the phone in a meeting room for lawyers of former President Donald Trump during his Senate Impeachment trial on Capitol Hill, February 12, 2021

A week later, Miller wrote to Meadows again, this time saying that campaign research did not find any evidence of a conspiracy involving Soros, the Democratic donor. Miller also said he was concerned about sharing the findings with Trump.

"Lots there re: functionality problems, not much there on Dem/Soros conspiracy connections," Miller wrote on November 13. "Will defer to you on whether or not to share full report with POTUS. POTUS is clearly hyped up on them, not just from his tweets, but he also called me and Justin separately last night to complain. JM."

On November 20, Meadows was asked by a Florida contact how confident he was about fraud related to Dominion. Meadows texted back: "Dominion, not that confident. Other fraud. Very confident."

Two days later, Ginni Thomas messaged Meadows with apparent concerns, asking, "Trying to understand the Sidney Powell distancing..."

Meadows responded: "She doesn't have anything or at least she won't share it if she does."

"Wow!" Ginni Thomas wrote back.

In one of the few messages Meadows received from Kushner, Trump's son-in-law shared a fact check on December 4 debunking one of the most prominent election fraud claims from Georgia. The article showed that despite inflammatory claims of poll workers stashing suitcases filled with ballots under a table, that did not, in fact, occur.

'Hoping the VP sticks with us'

After the Electoral College affirmed Biden's win on December 14, Trump's allies turned their attention to January 6: the congressional certification of the electors and the rally that Trump said on Twitter "will be wild!"

On December 21, Brooks, the Alabama congressman, wrote to Meadows and others in a group text asking whether he should engage with the media about the "formulation of our January 6 strategies."

"Does the White House want me to reply or be mum?" Brooks wrote. A staunch Trump ally running for Senate this year, Brooks gave an incendiary speech on January 6 but recently fell out of favor with Trump after suggesting Republicans should move on from 2020.

In response to CNN's request for comment, Brooks said he had "no regrets" about his speech on January 6 and that he was "shocked" by the violence. "I had no inkling," Brooks added.

Cruz, a Texas Republican who pushed a plan inside the Senate that would have delayed certification of the election, exchanged just a few messages with Meadows -- links to his statements posted to social media.

On January 2, the senator sent Meadows his tweet proposing a 10-day audit of the election results.

"Here's the statement," Cruz wrote.

"Perfect," Meadows responded.

The texts also make frequent reference to then-Vice President Mike Pence, who refused to go along with Trump's plan to try to block the certification on January 6. On December 30, Rep. Brian Babin of Texas expressed concern that congressional leaders might try to short circuit their objections -- and that Pence was not on board.

"Dems and some Republicans may well try to shortstop our objection efforts. Hoping the VP sticks with us," Babin wrote.

On New Year's Eve, Miller shared a news article with Meadows that Pence opposed a lawsuit intended to help overturn the election. Miller warned that it could be used "to drive a massive wedge between POTUS and everybody else in the party."

"He's absolutely going to blow his stack on this if he isn't already aware," Miller said of Trump. "Oh boy I don't understand what the VP was thinking here."

On January 5, Jordan, the Ohio congressman and close GOP ally of Meadows, weighed in.

"On January 6, 2021, Vice President Mike Pence, as President of the Senate, should call out all electoral votes that he believes are unconstitutional as no electoral votes at all -- in accordance with guidance from founding father Alexander Hamilton and judicial precedence," Jordan wrote.

Meadows responded the morning of January 6: "I have pushed for this. Not sure it is going to happen."

The January 6 committee included the text exchange in its Friday court filing as evidence of Meadows' alleged involvement in the effort to overturn the election.

The logs also show Meadows was involved with planning the rally on January 6 , helping to mediate a fight over the speakers list. Trump adviser Katrina Pierson was alarmed at some of the proposed fringe figures who wanted to speak.

Crowds arrive for the "Stop the Steal" rally on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC.

On January 2 and 3, Pierson wrote to Meadows looking for help.

"Good afternoon, would you mind giving me a call re: this Jan 6th event. Things have gotten crazy and I desperately need some direction. Please," she asked on January 2.

The next day, she reached out again: "Scratch that, Caroline Wren has decided to move forward with the original psycho list. Apparently Dan Scavino approved??"

She continued: "So, I'm done. I can't be a part of embarrassing POTUS any further."

Wren was a fundraiser for the Trump campaign and helped organize the January 6 rally. She has been subpoenaed by the January 6 committee

Less than an hour later, Pierson wrote Meadows that she told Wren she was talking to the White House in order to get her to back down.

"I let her know that I was going to reach out to WH and her tone changed," Pierson wrote. "So, I'll continue to build a proper event."

"Thank you," Meadows responded.

'As bad as this can get'

In the aftermath of the violence at the Capitol on January 6, Trump's inner circle discussed in a group text how to deal with the fallout -- and Trump's suspension from Twitter. At 10:10 p.m. on January 6, Kushner texted the group: "Why don't we post on his Facebook page since he isn't locked out there."

In the final days of Trump's term, as he faced impeachment for a second time, Meadows received words of encouragement from staunch allies, as well as caution from advisers.

"I would like to pass to POTUS that we are still with him, I believe in him and I want to encourage him," Rep. Andrew Clyde, a freshman Georgia Republican, wrote on January 9. "I truly hope he does create a new platform to complete (sic) with Twitter and I hope he calls it 'Trumpet' and then we can send out 'notes' to each other!"

"I will share it with him. Thanks Andrew," Meadows responded.

On January 13, the day the House voted to impeach Trump for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol -- with 10 Republicans joining Democrats -- Miller shared polling data in a group text with Meadows, Scavino and Kushner that showed "2/3 of the MAGA base wants us to move on."

"I tried to walk the President through this earlier but he won't have any of it," Miller said.

As Trump prepared to leave power, he appeared to be a pariah in the Republican Party. House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy had said during the House's January 13 impeachment debate that the outgoing President "bears responsibility" for the riot. Six days later, on January 19, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell denounced Trump from the floor of the Senate, saying the mob that attacked the Capitol was "provoked by the President and other powerful people."

Nevertheless, Trump's standing in the Republican Party quickly recovered, especially after McCarthy's January 28 visit to Mar-a-Lago and the February 2021 acquittal of Trump in the Senate impeachment trial.

But before Trump left office, the Meadows text logs show some of Trump's staunchest allies were dejected. On January 19, in one of the final texts Meadows received as chief of staff, Fox's Sean Hannity shared a video of McConnell's floor speech.

Hannity texted Meadows: "Well this is as bad as this can get."

Jamie Gangel
Jeremy Herb
Elizabeth Stuart

Harris says she 'never believed' Trump SCOTUS nominees who told ...

Washington (CNN) In her first interview since Roe v. Wade was overturned on Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris told CNN's Dana Bash that she never believed former President Donald Trump's Supreme Court picks, whom she voted against in the Senate, would preserve the landmark abortion law.

"I never believed them. I didn't believe them. That's why I voted against them," the vice president said in an interview on Monday when Bash, pointing to Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch's previous statements underscoring Roe v. Wade's long-held precedent, asked Harris whether she believed the two justices intentionally misled the public and Congress during the confirmation process.

"It was clear to me when I was sitting in that chair as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, that they were ... very likely to do what they just did. That was my perspective. That was my opinion. And that's why I voted like I did."

Her comments come shortly after Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins said publicly that she feels misled by Kavanaugh, who she says reassured her that he would not overturn Roe v. Wade.

Harris, who was flying on Air Force Two from Washington to Illinois on Friday to unveil the administration's latest strategy to improve maternal health in the US when the decision came down, said she was shocked by the ruling.

"This is not over," she added, referring to how she sees the conservative court majority's intentions on other existing rights.

Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas indicated in a concurring opinion for the ruling that the court should revisit other cases of precedent that ensure rights related to same-sex marriage and contraception.

"I think he just said the quiet part out loud," Harris said about Thomas. "And I think that is why we all must really understand the significance of what just happened. This is profound. And the way that this decision has come down, has been so driven, I think, by the politics of the issue versus what should be the values that we place on freedom and liberty in our country."

Harris said the administration "will do everything" within its power to defend access to medication abortion. And she suggested the administration is looking at ways to provide women in states where the procedure is banned the resources they'd need, like child care and travel funding, to access it in other states.

But appearing to reject a growing request from Democratic lawmakers, Harris said the administration was not currently discussing using federal lands for abortion services in and around states that will ban the procedure.

"It's not right now what we are discussing," Harris said.

Calls for Biden to allow abortion providers to work from federal property have raised concerns among some lawyers. And providing federal funding for women to travel out of state has the potential of running afoul of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding of abortions in almost all cases.

A White House official on Monday made a similar argument, saying: "While this proposal is well-intentioned, it could put women and providers at risk. And importantly, in states where abortion is now illegal, women and providers who are not federal employees could be potentially be prosecuted."

When pressed on what else a Democratic-controlled White House, Senate and House could do to protect abortion rights, Harris specifically pointed to Congress and the role the legislative branch could play in codifying abortion rights -- if Democrats had the votes. She repeatedly pointed to the importance of the 2022 midterms as an opportunity to elect more Democratic senators who support abortion rights.

But when asked whether Congress could do something sooner if the Senate filibuster were eliminated, she would not say whether she would support eliminating the 60-vote threshold in order to pass abortion protections.

"I think that (the President) has been clear about where we stand on this issue of reproductive health and what the President and our administration have within our toolkit to do and, so far, that's what we've been pursuing," Harris said.

Biden told CNN's Anderson Cooper at a town hall last year that he would be open to altering the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation "and maybe more."

During Monday's wide-ranging interview, Harris emphasized that inflation remains a priority for the Biden administration. But she did not directly answer when asked whether she believes the United States is heading toward a recession or discuss any new tools the administration could use to address rising prices.

"I think that there can be no higher priority than what we have been clear is our highest priority, which is bringing down the costs and the prices as much as we possibly can -- and we will stay focused on that," the vice president responded.

As the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection gears up for an unexpected hearing on Tuesday, Bash asked Harris whether the hearings so far have changed her perceptions of her predecessor.

Harris commended former Vice President Mike Pence "for having the courage to do his job" when he refused to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election despite pressure from Trump.

The vice president declined to say whether she would support bringing criminal charges against Trump based on the findings presented by the committee.

Harris did not mince words when asked about 2024, as some critics have questioned whether the 79-year-old President will seek reelection. Bash asked her about comments from House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, a Biden ally representing South Carolina, that if the President did not run, Clyburn would support Harris leading the ticket.

"Joe Biden is running for reelection, and I will be his ticket mate," Harris said. "Full stop."

This story has been updated with more information.

Maegan Vazquez
Jasmine Wright
Devan Cole

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New York Times: Audio reveals McCarthy worried GOP lawmakers ...

(CNN) New audio of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, obtained and reported on by The New York Times on Tuesday, reveals he expressed concern about far-right House Republicans inciting violence against other lawmakers in the aftermath of January 6, 2021.

In the audio, the California Republican repeatedly lamented the inflammatory comments made by some GOP lawmakers following the US Capitol attack -- a far different posture than his efforts to downplay Republicans' role in January 6.

On January 10, 2021, McCarthy urged Republican leaders on a private call to monitor the public statements of lawmakers, such as Reps. Mo Brooks of Alabama and Matt Gaetz of Florida, and alert him of any potentially dangerous messages.

"The country is too crazy," McCarthy said, according to audio obtained by two New York Times reporters for their upcoming book, "This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden and the Battle for America's Future."

"I do not want to look back and think we caused something or we missed something and someone got hurt. I don't want to play politics with any of that."

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Biden caught on hot mic calling Fox reporter 'a stupid son of a bitch ...

(CNN) President Joe Biden was heard calling a reporter from the Fox channel a "stupid son of a bitch" on a hot microphone following a White House event Monday afternoon.

The President's profane remark came as reporters were shouting questions while exiting the East Room following a White House Competition Council meeting on efforts to lower prices.

Fox White House Correspondent Peter Doocy asked Biden, "Would you take a question on inflation ... ? Do you think inflation is a political liability in the midterms?"

"It's a great asset -- more inflation," Biden deadpanned. "What a stupid son of a bitch."

Doocy said on Fox late Monday evening that Biden called his phone shortly after their exchange to apologize for his remark. "Within about an hour of that exchange, he called my cell phone and he said, 'It's nothing personal, pal,'" Doocy said.