A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked the release of records of former President Trump’s White House calls and activities related to the January 6 insurrection. House lawmakers are seeking the records as part of their sweeping investigation into Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Earlier today, ABC News released audio of Donald Trump defending his supporters who called for hanging his vice president, Mike Pence, on January 6. He made the comment in an interview with Jonathan Karl.
Jonathan Karl: “You heard those chants. That was terrible. I mean, those — you know, the” —
Donald Trump: “He could have — well, the people were very angry.”
Jonathan Karl: “They were saying, 'Hang Mike Pence.'”
Donald Trump: “Because it’s — it’s common sense, Jon. It’s common sense that you’re supposed to protect. How can you — if you know a vote is fraudulent — right?”
Jonathan Karl: “Yeah.”
Donald Trump: “How can you pass on a fraudulent vote to Congress?”
This comes as House Democrats are threatening to seek criminal contempt charges against Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, if he refuses to testify today as part of the January 6 probe.