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Tuesday 8 February 2022
What does Ivanka Trump know about Jan. 6? Congress is asking

that the president “ask people to
leave.”
“We’re working on it,” she replied.
At that point, staffers acknowl-
edged that despite efforts by
Meadows, press secretary Kayleigh
McEnany and Kellogg, the only
person who could get through to
him would be his daughter.
Ivanka Trump, according to tes-
timony, went on to make at least
two “tenacious” attempts to rea-
son with her father as staffers were
bombarded with messages from
Trump allies begging him to quell
the violence.
“Can he make a statement. I saw
the tweet. Ask people to leave
the (Capitol),” Fox News host Sean
Hannity texted Meadows.
But inside the West Wing, Kellogg
strongly recommended that they
not ask the president to appear in
the press room, where a group of
reporters would be waiting for him.
“Apparently, certain White House
staff believed that a live unscripted
press appearance by the President
in the midst of the Capitol Hill vio-
The White House in the background, President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.
Associated Press lence could have made the situ-
ation worse,” lawmakers wrote in
Continued from Front Trump, who is eyeing a political That tweet, according to court tes- their letter to Ivanka Trump.
comeback in 2024, but for those timony, only added to the anger The president ultimately agreed to
A committee aide said they are in the Republican Party who have fueling the mob. a video statement. Multiple takes
hopeful that she will soon commit downplayed his role in the insurrec- Back in the White House, as staff- were filmed but not used. In each
to a time to meet. tion. ers watched in shock at what was one of the initial takes, according
Throughout her time in the White A spokeswoman for Ivanka Trump unfolding down Pennsylvania Av- to the committee, he failed to ask
House, Ivanka Trump was known did not respond to multiple re- enue on television screens posi- rioters to leave.
as a rare voice who could get quests for comment. But in a state- tioned throughout the West Wing, The final video was released on
through to her father and talk him ment issued in late January, a rep- Trump’s attention was so rapt that Twitter at 4:17 p.m. — nearly two
out of bad decisions, though her resentative for her noted that Ivan- he hit rewind and watched cer- hours after Trump’s initial tweet crit-
success was mixed. The former first ka Trump did not speak at the rally tain moments again, according to icizing Pence.
daughter has kept an extraordi- near the White House where the Stephanie Grisham, a former White “This was a fraudulent election,
nary low profile since her father left then-president urged his supporters House press secretary. but we can’t play into the hands
office and has distanced herself to “fight like hell” as Congress con- “Look at all of the people fighting of these people,” Trump said in the
from him and politics since moving vened to certify the 2020 election for me,” Trump said, according to video. “We have to have peace.
to Florida. results, and said she still believed Grisham, who also served as chief So go home. We love you; you’re
But her proximity to him on Jan. 6 that “any security breach or dis- of staff to first lady Melania Trump. very special.”
could provide the committee with respect to our law enforcement is At one point, the president was Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the vice
direct access to what Trump was unacceptable.” confused why staffers weren’t as chair of the House committee in-
doing during those crucial three Members of the committee hope excited as he was watching the vestigating the Jan. 6 insurrection,
hours when his supporters violently to get beyond such vague asser- unrest unfold. has said it’s hard to “imagine a
stormed Capitol. tions. Kellogg testified that staff wanted more significant and more serious
“Ivanka Trump has details about Hours after Trump’s call to Pence, the president to take immediate dereliction of duty” than Trump’s
what occurred in the lead-up to Ivanka Trump joined brother Don- action to address the violence failure to quell the riots.
and on Jan. 6 and about the for- ald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani and consuming the Capitol, but Trump Trump’s last words that day came
mer president’s state of mind as Kimberly Guilfoyle under a large refused. at 6:01 p.m. when he tweeted that
events unfolded,” Rep. Stephanie tent at the rally to listen to Trump’s “Is someone getting to potus? He the 2020 election was “unceremo-
Murphy, D-Fla, a member of the speech. has to tell protestors to dissipate. niously and viciously stripped away
panel, told The Associated Press. She reportedly told aides she “de- Someone is going to get killed,” from great patriots who have been
It is highly unusual for congressio- cided to attend only because she Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former White badly and unfairly treated for so
nal investigators to target a fam- had hoped to calm the president House communications official, long.”
ily member of a president, but as and help keep the event on an texted Ben Williamson, an aide to He ended with, “Go home with
a senior adviser to her father, she even keel.” White House chief of staff Mark love and in peace. Remember this
also had a perch close to power. After Trump’s speech, as rioters Meadows. day forever.”
Kellogg disclosed the exchange began to smash through Capitol “I’ve been trying for the last 30 min- The committee has been aggres-
with the committee, but so far Ivan- police barriers and break windows, utes. Literally stormed in outer oval sively interviewing witnesses —
ka Trump, who famously guards the former president tweeted: to get him to put out the first one. nearly 500 so far — and has sub-
her image and public profile, has “Mike Pence didn’t have the cour- It’s completely insane,” Williamson poenaed Meadows and Trump’s
not talked to the panel. age to do what should have been wrote back. personal lawyer. They are ask-
The answers could have significant done to protect our Country and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., then ing Ivanka Trump to cooperate
repercussions not only for Donald our Constitution ...” called Ivanka Trump, pleading voluntarily.q