Former US President Donald Trump has harshly rejected allegations by the investigative committee to storm the Capitol. In a 12-page statement released Monday evening (local time), the Republican accused the committee of “making a laughingstock” of the American judiciary and excluding exonerating witnesses.
In addition, Trump repeated his completely unsubstantiated claim that he was deprived of a second term through electoral fraud. He accused his successor Joe Biden and the Democrats of destroying the United States.
“The Democrats (…) are doing everything in their power to stop me – but we cannot be stopped,” Trump said in a statement. The ex-president railed in detail against the Biden government, the Democrats as a whole and against the investigative body they lead in Congress: The country is struggling with all sorts of problems – with inflation, skyrocketing fuel prices, lack of baby food, illegal migration – but it is the Democrats were only concerned with their committee. “Instead of solving problems, Democrats are rehashing history in hopes of changing the narrative,” Trump lamented.
Advisors distanced themselves
Once again he laid out his allegations of voter fraud in the document – with footnotes, which is rather unusual for the man of the terse, pithy messages.
To this day, Trump claims without evidence that he was deprived of victory in the 2020 presidential election by electoral fraud. For weeks he tried to use the most questionable methods to subsequently overturn the election victory of his democratic challenger Biden. His camp failed with dozens of lawsuits against the election results. Resistance to the outcome of the election culminated in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, which the investigative committee in Congress is investigating.
Trump supporters had violently stormed the seat of parliament in Washington. Congress met there to certify Biden’s election victory. Five people died as a result of the riots. Trump had recently incited his supporters at a rally that his election victory had been stolen. He then had to face impeachment proceedings, at the end of which he was acquitted.
For months, the investigative committee had questioned hundreds of witnesses behind closed doors and viewed large amounts of documents and evidence. Last week, the panel began public hearings to present its findings in front of the nation. The committee wants to prove that the outbreak of violence was the direct result of an elaborate campaign by Trump. With his paper, Trump reacted to these meetings, which are broadcast live on US television and once again cast him in a bad light.
In the first two public hearings, several high-ranking members from Trump’s environment had contradicted his allegations of voter fraud. Former members of the government and campaign advisors have distanced themselves from his actions. Ex-Attorney General William Barr and others called the fraud allegations “insane.” Trump has probably increasingly “lost touch with reality,” said Barr.
The committee’s next public hearing was originally scheduled for this Wednesday. However, the meeting was canceled at short notice on Tuesday, as reported by several US media, including the broadcasters NBC and CNN. The committee wants to meet again in public on Thursday. The committee intends to publish a final report in September. (apa)