Trump says he tried to march with supporters Jan. 6, blames Pelosi for Capitol violence: report
Former President Donald Trump wanted to march to the U.S. Capitol with his supporters on Jan. 6, but the Secret Service wouldn’t let him, he told The Washington Post in an interview this week.
"I would have gone there in a minute," Trump said. "The crowd was far bigger than I even thought. I believe it was the largest crowd I’ve ever spoken to. I don’t know what that means, but you see very few pictures. They don’t want to show pictures, the fake news doesn’t want to show pictures."
The former president repeatedly blamed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the violence and chaos that ensued after he urged his supporters to march as Congress convened to certify Joe Biden’s victory. According to The Post, Trump blamed Pelosi more than a dozen times during the 45-minute interview.
(White House photo)
"I hated seeing it. I hated seeing it. And I said, ‘It’s got to be taken care of,’ and I assumed they were taking care of it," Trump said.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: President Trump speaks from a Jumbotron screen as crowds gather for the "Stop the Steal" rally on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
On Jan. 6, Pelosi was moved to a secure location while rioters stormed her office and threatened violence. More than three hours after Trump gave his fiery speech to supporters, he posted a video on Twitter telling them to go home.
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The interview, which took place at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, comes about a month after the House panel investigating the insurrection said for the first time that Trump and his associates may have committed crimes in their failed effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
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Trump told the Post that he hasn’t been contacted by the Jan. 6 committee, though he has claimed executive privilege several times since the probe began. Four of his associates, including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, are being held in contempt of Congress for failing to cooperate with the investigation.