Denver Riggleman’s interview with 60 minutes is a rare breach in the carefully stage managed presentation the January 6 committee has given Americans over the past months about what happened during the insurrection at the Capitol.
A former Republican congressman who was ousted by a more conservative opponent in 2020 and now considers himself independent, Riggleman acted as a technical adviser for the committee, pouring through evidence such as text messages and emails obtained from people thought to have knowledge of the attack. His interview with him provided a behind-the-scenes look at the investigation, most details about which have come from lawmakers’ comments or the public hearings themselves.
Perhaps his most startling admission is his belief that text messages then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows voluntarily turned over the committee amounted to a “roadmap to an attempted coup.” But Riggleman shared other disquieting details in the interview, such as that a White House number called one of the rioters who had stormed the Capitol as it was happening.
Then there were the text messages Meadows received containing an array of far-right conspiracy theories from Ginny Thomaswife of rightwing supreme court justice Clarence Thomas.
“What really shook me was the fact that if Clarence agreed with or was even aware of his wife’s efforts, all three branches of government would be tied to the stop the steal movement,” Riggleman said on 60 Minutes.
Ginni Thomas’s involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results has been well documented in recent months, leading to calls for the January 6 committee to compel her testimony – efforts Riggleman said he supported. Last week, a deal was reached for Thomas to speak to investigators.
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Here’s what else we can expect today:
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Republicans still have a good chance of winning a majority in the House of Representatives, but CBS News believes it won’t be a very large one.
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Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, will hold a re-election rally in Alpharetta at 3pm ET, where he will be joined by fellow GOP governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia.
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Joe Biden is in Delaware but will return to the White House this morning to greet 2021 World Series champions the Atlanta Braves, then preside over the third meeting of the White House Competition Council in the afternoon.
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Key events
CNN has more details on the call from a White House number to the phone of one of the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6.
The nine-second phone call went to the phone of Anton Lunyka Brooklyn resident who had traveled to the city for the donald trump-hosted rally that preceded the attack, CNN reports. Lunyk, along with two friends who came with him from New York, pleaded guilty to charges of illegally protesting inside the Capitol, and earlier this month where sentenced to a few months of fines and probation.
Who was on the other end of the call remains a mystery. CNN was not able to identify which White House official may have placed it, only that it took place at 4:17 pm, shortly after Trump tweeted at rioters to “go home.”
Denver Riggleman’s interview with 60 minutes is a rare breach in the carefully stage managed presentation the January 6 committee has given Americans over the past months about what happened during the insurrection at the Capitol.
A former Republican congressman who was ousted by a more conservative opponent in 2020 and now considers himself independent, Riggleman acted as a technical adviser for the committee, pouring through evidence such as text messages and emails obtained from people thought to have knowledge of the attack. His interview with him provided a behind-the-scenes look at the investigation, most details about which have come from lawmakers’ comments or the public hearings themselves.
Perhaps his most startling admission is his belief that text messages then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows voluntarily turned over the committee amounted to a “roadmap to an attempted coup.” But Riggleman shared other disquieting details in the interview, such as that a White House number called one of the rioters who had stormed the Capitol as it was happening.
Then there were the text messages Meadows received containing an array of far-right conspiracy theories from Ginny Thomaswife of rightwing supreme court justice Clarence Thomas.
“What really shook me was the fact that if Clarence agreed with or was even aware of his wife’s efforts, all three branches of government would be tied to the stop the steal movement,” Riggleman said on 60 Minutes.
Ginni Thomas’s involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results has been well documented in recent months, leading to calls for the January 6 committee to compel her testimony – efforts Riggleman said he supported. Last week, a deal was reached for Thomas to speak to investigators.
Former January 6 committee official sees evidence of ‘attempted coup’
Good morning, US politics blog readers. There was a rare look into the January 6 committee’s investigative process yesterday evening when a former staff member spoke to CBS’ 60 Minutes programand what Denver Riggleman had to say will do little to soothe the nerves of those fearing for America’s democracy. Among his revelations of him, Riggleman said text messages from Mark Meadows, donald trump‘s chief of staff during the time of the insurrection, amounted to a “roadmap to an attempted coup”. Expect to hear more about Riggleman’s interview today ahead of the January 6 committee’s first public hearing in more than two months on Wednesday.
Here’s what else we can expect today:
-
Republicans still have a good chance of winning a majority in the House of Representatives, but CBS News believes it won’t be a very large one.
-
Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, will hold a re-election rally in Alpharetta at 3pm ET, where he will be joined by fellow GOP governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia.
-
Joe Biden is in Delaware but will return to the White House this morning to greet 2021 World Series champions the Atlanta Braves, then preside over the third meeting of the White House Competition Council in the afternoon.
www.theguardian.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism