WASHINGTON (AP) – Donald Trump’s accusation in the Senate was hit when Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah objected to how Democrats characterized a presidential call when the Capitol uprising raged.
After a conversation about the case that apparently confused everyone, the prosecution managers of the Democratic House agreed to knock their words off the record and move on. They said the episode was not essential to their case that Trump incited the mob on January 6. But their account Wednesday night was initially correct.
Rep. DAVID CICILLINE of Rhode Island, a prosecutor for indictment: “Sen Lee describes it. He just finished a prayer with his colleagues here in the Senate, and the phone rang. It was Donald Trump. And how sen Lee explains it is that the phone call is going to be something like that. “Hey, Tommy,” Trump asked, and Sen Lee said, “It’s not Tommy.” And he handed the phone to Senator Tuberville. Sen Lee then confirmed that he was standing by it when Senator Tuberville and President Trump spoke on the phone. And Donald Trump allegedly asked Sen. Tuberville to raise additional objections to the certification. “That’s why he called.”
LEE requested that remarks on the phone call be removed from the record of the proceedings: “Judgments were attributed to me moments ago by the accusations of the House (which) was not made by me, it is not accurate.” He added: “That is not true. I never made the statements.”
THE FACTS: According to his own admission, Lee attributed the statements directly to him. He did not publicly characterize what was said in the call, but the Democrats do not claim he did.
Cicilline said Trump on the call “reportedly” asked that Senate Republicans delay the certification of Joe Biden as the next president. Indeed, the published new reports said exactly that, citing anonymous sources. The Associated Press did not confirm these reports.
But there is no doubt, as the Democrat said, that Lee took a call from Trump, realizing that the president intends to call Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and hand over his phone to his colleague while he is nearby. stands while Trump and Tuberville talk. We know this because Lee himself described the scene.
He tells it in text messages to Bryan Schott, a reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune.
“I got Senator Tuberville, gave him my phone and explained that the president wants to talk to him,” Lee texted. I stood nearby for the next five or ten minutes while they talked, not wanting to lose my phone in the midst of a crisis.
“Then the Capitol police became very nervous and ordered us to evacuate the room immediately. While forcing them all out of the room, I uncomfortably interrupted myself through the same phone call I had just facilitated.
” Excuse me, Tommy, we have to evacuate. Can I have my phone? ‘
“Senator Tuberville immediately ended the call and returned my phone to its rightful owner.”
The House Prosecutor has made a number of public statements to Trump while openly arousing the anger of his supporters over Congress’ actions to confirm Biden’s victory in the election. They said this call was not central to their argument. But they said they might return to it.
After the Capitol insurgents were purged, lawmakers confirmed the victory of Biden’s election collage. Lee did not vote to object to the certification. Tuberville was one of six Republican senators who voted to object to Arizona’s election votes.
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NOTE FROM THE EDITOR – A Look At The Truth Of Claims By Political Figures.
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