As rioters swarmed the Capitol, President Donald Trump’s eldest son pleaded with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to get his father to do more to end the violence.“He’s got to condemn this [shit] Asap. The Capitol Police tweet is not enough,” Donald Trump Jr. texted, one of a series of messages Meadows provided to the Jan. 6 select committee investigating the former president’s effort to overturn the election.AdvertisementThe text message was one of a handful described and released by the committee on Monday from the trove shared by Meadows that showed lawmakers, aides and even Fox News hosts pleading with Meadows to press Trump to take stronger action. After they described the messages, the panel held Meadows in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to testify to investigators. The matter now goes to the full House, which is expected to refer Meadows to the Justice Department on Tuesday.The messages add to the growing body of urgent pleas that went to Trump or his close aides during the rally. But for hours Trump did not heed their calls.Among the messages from the Fox stars:— “Hey Mark, the president needs to tell people in the Capitol to go home … this is hurting all of us … he is destroying his legacy,” Laura Ingraham wrote.Advertisement— “Please get him on tv. Destroying everything you have accomplished,” Brian Kilmeade wrote.— “Can he make a statement? … Ask people to leave the Capitol,” Sean Hannity urged.Panel members said the texts illustrated what they said were crucial questions that only Meadows could answer: How did he respond to these messages? Whom did he tell about them? And what actions did Trump take in response?Meadows’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though he sent a seven-page letter to the select panel on Monday morning calling on them to hold off on their contempt referral.AdvertisementBut Meadows weighed in during an appearance on Fox News later Monday with Hannity."At this point, Sean, you know, it'll be turned over to the hands of the DOJ," he said. "I can say this, that when you look at the criminal component of this, the intent — there's never been an intent on my part."During his remarks, Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said the panel would interview a dozen “key witnesses” this week, putting the panel over the 300 mark. That’s in addition to 30,000 records and 250 tips via the panel’s tip line, Thompson said.The committee released an additional series of texts that showed lawmakers sympathizing with Trump’s effort to interfere with the Jan. 6 certification of the 2020 election.One unidentified lawmaker told Meadows: “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.”“The president needs to stop this ASAP,” an unnamed lawmaker texted Meadows on Jan. 6Another unidentified lawmaker told Meadows after the attack: “Yesterday was a terrible day. We tried everything we could in our objection to the 6 states. I’m sorry nothing worked.”On Tuesday morning, as the House Rules Committee teed up the Meadows contempt resolution for a floor vote, Cheney read additional texts from GOP lawmakers to Meadows.Advertisement"It is really bad up here on the hill," one read. "The president needs to stop this ASAP," read another. "Fix this now," read a third.
美国有线电视新闻网 ( CNN ) 今 ( 11 日) 报导，华盛顿特区的联邦法官阿米特‧梅塔 ( Amit Mehta ) 在 6 日的听证会中质疑前美国总统川普，为甚么在 2021 年的国会暴动事件中，不出面阻止他的支持者使用暴力。
在 10 日的法庭听证会上，法官阿米特‧梅塔仪一再指出， 1 月 6 日，川普要求人群游行到国会大厦，但暴力事件发生时，他在两个小时内都没有说话、也没有出面要求支持者停止暴力。
此场听证会是三起与国会暴动有关的诉讼案的一部分，追究川普、亚拉巴马州众议员布鲁克斯 ( Mo Brooks ) 等共和党政治人物的责任，以及因为参与国会暴动，被刑事起诉的 700 多名暴徒。
川普的律师杰西·宾纳尔（Jesse Binnall）辩称，川普在担任总统期间所说的一切，包括导致国会暴动的发言，都应该免于承担责任，并且免受任何诉讼，因为这都是他作为总统的官方行动的一部分。
报导称，加州民主党众议员艾瑞克·斯瓦尔韦尔 ( Eric Swalwell )、其他 10 名众议院民主党人，以及国会警察詹姆斯·布拉辛格姆 ( James Blassingame )和西德尼·赫姆比 ( Sidney Hemby )提出了这些诉讼，他们认为川普应该承担指挥袭击国会的责任。斯瓦尔维尔表示，如果法官裁定有利于原告，将加快诉讼的程序，”希望我们很快就能有更多的证词和证据”。
国会警察在他们的证词中说，因为川普的鼓动，他们被化学喷雾剂和人群向他们投掷的物体击中，例如水瓶和标语。”被告的追随者已经被他 (川普) 数月的煽动性言论所激发，他们被刺激采取直接行动” 、”如果川普直接犯下他的追随者所犯的行为，川普就会承担直接责任，”出庭作证的警察表示。
10 日，在法官审理的三起案件中，被告包括川普、布鲁克斯、小唐纳·川普和右翼组织的领导人。他们拒绝承认与国会暴动有关，并要求法官撤销诉讼。根据川普的论点，继续诉讼会让人不敢发表政治言论，甚至是会让人利用讼诉攻击选举的对手。
民主党的代表特别关注川普、布鲁克斯等人在国会暴动前的发言。川普当时曾向民众高喊 :”给他们下马威”、”沿着宾夕法尼亚大道 (联结白宫和国会山庄的街道) 走”，而布鲁克斯在他的演讲中说 :”今天是美国爱国者打倒敌人、赢得胜利的日子”。
演讲结束后，数百名川普的支持者游行到国会大厦，殴打执法人员、冲破路障和窗户进入大楼，随后洗劫了国会办公室。