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Ex-President Donald Trump deleted passages from his January 7 speech despite concerns from his advisers
Photo: Ross D. Franklin / dpa
An original script for Donald Trump's speech the day after the Capitol storm contained harsh words.
The Justice Department should be asked to "ensure that all lawbreakers are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Trump should also say that the rioters "do not represent me."
However, those lines were crossed out with thick black lines, apparently by Trump himself, according to documents released by House investigators.
Rep. Elaine Luria of Virginia, a Democratic member of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, tweeted Monday a short video containing statements by White House officials discussing Trump's Jan. 7 speech, and a screenshot of the speech with notes and lines crossed out.
In one of the clips, Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump confirmed to the committee that the document "looks like a copy of a draft of the speech for the day" and that the writing "looks like my father's handwriting."
When the committee asked White House adviser Ivanka Trump's husband, Jared Kushner, why Trump crossed out certain lines, he replied twice, "I don't know."
The panel released the 3:40 minute video as a follow-up to the last hearing for this summer.
Investigators showed excerpts from the video recording of Trump's speech.
In the excerpts, he appears frustrated and discusses the choice of words with the staff present, including his daughter Ivanka.
At one point he says: "I don't want to say that the election is over." He bangs his fist on the table in anger.
Donald Trump's advisors wanted to do damage control - but he didn't
The Jan. 7 speech was seen by his advisers as an attempt to make up for his inaction from the previous day when he waited hours to order the rioters to leave the Capitol.
When he did, he called the insurgents "very special" in a video filmed in the rose garden.
In the video clip released by Luria, Trump's adviser Jared Kushner says he spoke to other advisers and they tried to put together a speech for the president.
"We felt it was important to continue calling for de-escalation," Kushner testified before the committee.
It is unclear who wrote the original text.
In the original line, "I am appalled and disgusted by the violence, lawlessness, and chaos," the word "disgusted" is crossed out.
The same applies to the later lines: “I want to make it very clear that you are not representing me.
You do not represent our movement.' But he left: 'You do not represent our country.' The line 'You belong in prison' was replaced by 'You will pay'.
Also deleted were these lines: “I direct the Justice Department to ensure that all lawbreakers are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
We must send out a clear message - not with mercy but with JUSTICE.
The legal consequences must be quick and consistent.«
Donald Trump hesitated to deliver the speech the day after the Capitol was stormed
The newly released video also includes statements from John McEntee, then head of the President's White House Human Resources Office and one of Trump's closest associates at the time.
McEntee says Kushner asked him to "move things along" to make sure Trump delivered the speech.
McEntee confirmed Trump was reluctant to deliver a speech.
Pat Cipollone, the chief White House counsel, also testified that he felt Trump should have spelled out the consequences for the rioters.
"I think he should have made it very clear that the rioters 'should be prosecuted and arrested'."
czl/Reuters/AP