First Published:
3:20 PM PDT, July 22, 2022
The final Jan. 6 committee hearing of the summer was packed with extraordinary testimony. There was not only fallout for former President Donald Trump, but also Republican Senator Josh Hawley.
After showing an image of Hawley raising his fist outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, a never-before-seen surveillance clip was played of the Missouri senator fleeing later that day.
“Later that day, Senator Hawley fled after those protesters he helped to rile up stormed the Capitol,” committee member Rep. Elaine Luria said.
Laughter reportedly erupted in the chamber after the video was shown. Within minutes, memes mocking Hawley started pouring in.
There were also startling new revelations as the committee heard evidence that former Vice President Mike Pence’s Secret Service agents feared for their lives and even called their families to say their goodbyes because of the threat of the mob.
“The VP detail thought this was about to get very ugly,” an unnamed official said in recorded testimony.
Also shown were outtakes from the speech Trump gave the day after the riots. His daughter Ivanka can be heard coaching him from the sidelines. At one point, he erupted in frustration.
Today, Trump denounced the proceedings as a “kangaroo court.”
The hearing ended with words from Rep. Liz Cheney.
“Can a president who is willing to make the choice Donald Trump made during the violence of January 6 ever be trusted with any position of authority in our great nation ever again?” Cheney asked.
The Republican congresswoman also announced that the next hearing will be held in September.
