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In early 2018, Americans were introduced to the concept of “executive time.” Donald Trump was finding his presidential schedule to be a bit too burdensome — evidently, serving as the chief executive of the preeminent global superpower was eating into his day — so his staff arranged for him to do more of what he wanted.
And what he wanted was to watch television for many hours over the course of his day, which he preferred to actual work.
All of this came to mind last night as the Jan. 6 committee held its most recent hearing. NBC News reported overnight:
As a violent mob overran the Capitol after his rally on Jan. 6, Donald Trump wasn’t sorry or alarmed, the House Jan. 6 committee showed in a public hearing Thursday night. The attack served as his last, slim hope of retaining power by delaying certification of Joe Biden’s victory, the committee argued. And Trump didn’t want to see the riot quelled too quickly as Congress met to tally the electoral votes.
And so, the then-president did what he always did: As his insurrectionist allies attacked the Capitol of his own country, Trump sat down and watched Fox News.
It might be tempting to think this was a moment in which an unprepared amateur, overwhelmed by circumstances, simply froze under pressure. Maybe, some might argue, the Republican was scared and confused, unsure what to do or how do it, so he choked at a key moment.
But that’s not what happened. There’s a difference between failing to act and choosing not to act, and as the bipartisan select committee made clear last night, Trump’s deliberate negligence during the Jan. 6 violence was an example of the latter.
“Rather than uphold his duty to the Constitution, President Trump allowed the mob to achieve the delay he hoped would keep him in power,” Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria explained.
Quite right. The mob was his weapon. He’d summoned it. He then dispatched it. Those around the then-president practically begged him to intervene and end the violence, but Trump ignored them — because the rioters’ goals were in line with his wishes. From the NBC News report:
A new witness who testified before the committee this week described a conversation between two White House lawyers, Pat Cipollone and Eric Herschmann, surrounding a call that had been arranged with the Pentagon about stopping the attack. Cipollone wound up taking the call because, as Herschmann described it, “the president doesn’t want anything done.”
Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger added, “He told Mark Meadows that the rioters were doing what they should be doing and the rioters understood they were doing what President Trump wanted them to do.”
One of the most memorable moments from last night’s hearing came when the public saw previously unaired footage from former White House counsel Pat Cipollone’s videotaped testimony.
Republican Rep. Liz Cheney asked the lawyer whether anyone on White House staff actually wanted the rioters to be in the Capitol. Cipollone responded, “On the staff?” hinting at a possible distinction between the then-president and those who worked for the then-president.
The Wyoming congresswoman clarified whether anyone “in the White House” was supportive of the mob’s attack, specifically Trump. This led to some awkward silence and exchanges between Cipollone and his own counsel.
As a Washington Post analysis summarized, “It would seem relatively straightforward for Cipollone to give his perception of Trump’s feelings, leaving any personal conversations aside. And he seemed to genuinely want to. He also could have said his perception was that Trump didn’t like the riot. But he wouldn’t — or couldn’t — say it.”
So why did Trump ultimately issue a statement encouraging his followers to go home? Because his weapon didn’t work.
“It’s very clear that watching this violence was part of the plan,” Luria told the Post this week. “He wanted to see it unfold. And it wasn’t until he realized that it was not going to be successful that he finally stood up and said something.”