Trump didn’t even write the January 6 tweet himself: Report

• A panel discussion on January 6 revealed how Donald Trump was slow to act during the Capitol riot.
• Officials told ABC News that President Trump was reluctant to use Twitter to calm down the protesters.
• According to ABC News, former Trump aides were required to write and present tweets to be posted on Trump’s account.

As President Donald Trump watched on television as rioters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, one of the former president’s aides heard Trump’s first call to protesters to remain peaceful. ABC News reported that he drafted the tweet.

Last year, a Congressional committee investigating President Trump’s role in the events of January 6 found that the former president was reluctant to call in additional law enforcement to stop the mob in the first hours of the Capitol invasion. , outlined how he spent a lot of time watching and watching television instead. Calling on his lawyers and Republican allies.

New details about what was going on inside the White House during that time reveal that President Trump was using Dan Scavino, a former chief of staff and now a senior adviser to Trump’s re-election campaign, to help calm protesters. It shows that it was necessary.

Mr. Scavino was one of dozens of witnesses interviewed by Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team on January 6 as part of the Justice Department’s investigation into the former president’s conduct. ABC News’ reporting is based on sources’ knowledge of Mr. Scavino’s testimony.

As the Capitol invasion unfolded, a small group of people around Trump, including Scavino, tried to persuade him to send a strong message to the protesters, officials told ABC News. .

Instead, after about 20 minutes of urging, Scavino and his colleagues left Trump alone in the White House dining room. At the time, President Trump posted a tweet disparaging then-Vice President Mike Pence, saying he “didn’t have the courage to do what needed to be done.” Please protect our country,” the source said.

The tweet shocked several Trump aides, including Scavino, who is the only person with access to Trump’s Twitter account, the people said.

Trump aides and former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone once again called on the president to send a strong message to the protesters.

Sources told ABC News that Scavino printed out several tweets proposing to Trump.

At around 2:38 p.m. local time, President Trump’s Twitter account posted a tweet that read, “Please support the Capitol Police and law enforcement. They are our true allies. Stay peaceful!” Ta.

According to a timeline of former President Trump’s tweets from the day of the riot, this post is the first to urge his supporters to remain calm.

“The media’s preoccupation with second-hand hearsay shows how weak the witch hunt against President Trump is,” a spokesperson for President Trump said in an email to Business Insider. “He’s one of the president’s longest-serving and most loyal allies, and one of President Trump’s actual allies.” The testimony shows how strong President Trump is in this case. ”

According to ABC News officials, Scavino told federal investigators that President Trump remains reluctant to send messages on Twitter.

Trump “had no interest in revealing anything at that point,” Scavino said, according to the official.

Mr. Scavino’s lawyer, Stanley Woodward, declined to comment.