Capitol storming was 'coup attempt' and 'encouraged' by Trump, inquest says

Deputy Chairman of the House of Commons Inquiry Liz Cheney, during the opening remarks of a public hearing on the assault on the US Capitol, here on June 9, 2020, in Washington.

AP - J. Scott Applewhite

Text by: RFI Follow

4 mins

The assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 was the “ 

 ” judged Thursday June 9 an American parliamentary commission of inquiry.

The latter placed Donald Trump at the center of a " 

 " aimed at keeping him in power on a day of political violence rare in the United States, under the " 

 " of the Republican.

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A raging crowd in the corridors of the United States Congress, elected officials crawling on the ground with gas masks... Protesters stormed the seat of Parliament after " 

 " of the former president, said Bennie Thompson, the head of the so-called "

" commission 

 , at the start of a series

to overturn the result of the

, won by Joe Biden.

" 

," said Bennie Thompson.

 »

For

, this group of elected officials - seven Democrats and two Republicans - has heard more than 1,000 witnesses, including two children of the former president, and reviewed 140,000 documents.

This is to shed light on the specific acts and gestures of Donald Trump before, during and after this event which shook American democracy.

“ 

 ,” said

, one of the few elected Republicans who agreed to sit on this commission.

Never-before-seen videos with calls to ' 

hang

 ' Mike Pence

To support its conclusions, the " 

" commission  released unpublished images of the violence of this cold winter day during which thousands of supporters of Donald Trump had gathered in Washington to denounce the result of the election. of 2020, which had seen the ex-real estate magnate lose.

These videos show crowds attacking the headquarters of Congress, calling for the " 

 " of Vice President Mike Pence, and a protester reading tweets from Donald Trump through a megaphone.

“ 

 ,” launched Bennie Thompson in allusion to those among the Republicans who brandished this argument.

The images were broadcast live by many news channels but shunned by the most conservative media.

This in yet another illustration of the deep political fault line dividing the United States.

" 

Biggest movement in history

 ", according to Donald Trump

Because a year and a half after the assault on the Capitol, millions of supporters of Donald Trump remain firmly convinced that the 2020 election was marred by fraud.

And this despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

The main interested party, Donald Trump, once again praised this day Thursday, June 9, assuring that the assault on Capitol Hill was the “ 

 ”.

Republicans rejecting ' 

least

legitimate

 ' commission

The parliamentary committee considers its work essential to ensure that one of the darkest episodes in American history is never repeated, despite very real threats.

“ 

 ,” warned Bennie Thompson.

The parliamentary inquiry therefore faces a major challenge, that of presenting a story and evidence capable of capturing the attention of the general public and convincing it of the importance of its revelations.

But the majority of Republicans reject its work, the leader of the conservatives in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, denouncing the commission “ 

 ”.

His party has already promised to bury the work of this commission if it were to take control of the Chamber during the mid-term legislative elections in November.

The elected conservative Liz Cheney, who has become the former president's pet peeve for having been one of the rare voices of the Grand Old Party to openly dare to criticize him, sent a message to his Republican colleagues on Thursday evening: " 

 .”

(With AFP)

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• United States

• donald trump

• USA Elections 2020