Article two of the United States Constitution establishes the electoral
College. Each state's laws provide that electors are to be chosen
by a popular vote.
And on December, 14th 2020 electors met in all 50 states and the
District of Columbia to cast their votes.
Joseph Biden won by a margin of 306 to 232.
The election was over.
Mr Biden was the president elect.
Before the Electoral college met, Donald Trump and his allies filed
dozens of legal challenges to the election. But they lost over and
over again, including in front of multiple judges President Trump
had nominated to the bench.
In many of these cases, the judges were highly critical of the arguments
put forward, explaining that no genuine evidence of widespread fraud
had been presented, for example, a federal judge in Pennsylvania
said.
This court has been presented with strained legal arguments without
MEREDITH merit and speculative accusations unsupported by evidence.
In the United States of America. This cannot justify the disenfranchisement
of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its six most populated
state.
On December 15th after the Electoral college certified the outcome.
The Republican majority leader in the Senate, acknowledged Mr Biden's
victory.
Yesterday, electors met in all 50 states.
So as of this morning, our country has officially
A president elect.
And vice president elect.
Many millions of us had hoped the presidential election would yield
A different result.
But our system of government has processes to determine who will
be sworn in.
On January, the 20th
The Electoral college.
Has spoken.
So today, I want to congratulate President elect Joe Biden.
Even members of President Trump's Cabinet in his White House staff
understood the significance of his losses in the courts and the absence
of evidence of fraud.
They also respected the constitutional certification by the Electoral
College. Many of them told President Trump that it was time to concede
the election to Mr Biden, for example, then Secretary of Labor Jean
Scalia and accomplished lawyer in the Son of late Justice Scalia
called President Trump in mid December and advised him to concede
and accept the rulings of the courts.
So I had to put a call into the president. I might have called on
the 13th. We spoke. I believe on the 14th.
In which, um, I conveyed to him that I, uh, thought that
It was time for him to acknowledge that President Biden had from
the ultimate election, But I communicated to the president that
I have to when that legal process is exhausted.
And
When the electors have voted
That That's the point of which that outcome needs to be expected.
I told him that I did believe, yes, that once the those legal processes
were run
If fraud had not been established, affected the outcome of the election
that unfortunately, I believe that what had to be done was conceived
the outcome.
As you've seen in prior hearings, President Trump's Justice Department,
his White House staff in his campaign officials were repeatedly telling
him that there was no evidence of fraud sufficient to change the
outcome of the election.
And last week we conducted an eight hour interview with President
Trump's White House counsel Pat Sip alone.
You'll see a number of excerpts of that interview today and even
more in our next hearing.
Mr Sit baloney told us that he agreed with the testimony that there
was no evidence of fraud sufficient to overturn the election.
I'm going to start by asking if you agree Mr
conclusions that Morgan's Bill Barr, all of the individuals who evaluate
those claims there is no evidence of election fraud sufficient undermine
the outcome.
Yes, I agree with that.
And Mr Sip. Aloni also specifically testified that he believed that
Donald Trump should have conceded the election.
Did you believe? And Mr Siblani? The president should concede once
you made the determination based on you investigations that you credited
the RJ didn't
You and your mind form a belief that the president should concede
the election loss.
At a certain point after the election.
Well again, Uh, I was the White House counsel.
Some of those decisions are political. So to the extent that
But if your question is that I believe he should can see the election.
At a point in time. Yes, I did. I believe, um
Leader McConnell and onto the floor of the Senate. I believe in December
and basically said, you know, process Yeah, that would be in line
with
I think it's one of these things.
As Attorney general Bill Barr testified December 14th should have
been the end of the matter.
December. 14th was the day that the state certified their votes and
sent him to Congress. And in my view, that was the end of the matter.
I didn't say
You know, I thought that
Uh, this would lead inexorably to a new administration.
Mr Sip. Aloni also testified that the president's chief of staff,
Mark Meadows, said he shared this view.
As early as that November 23rd meeting. We understand that there
was discussion about the president, possibly conceding the election.
And specifically, we understand that Mark Meadows assure both you
and General Bar that the president would eventually agreed to a graceful
exit.
Do you remember Mr Meadows Making any such representation? Are you
saying is part of that meeting or separately again without without
getting into that meeting? I would say that that is a That is a statement
and a sentiment that I heard from
Mark. I see and again do you know if it was on November 23rd or some
point again? I It was probably
Around that time, and it was probably subsequently that time it wasn't
one time.
State.
Mr Meadows has refused to testify in the committee is in litigation
with him.
About many other White House officials shared the view that once
the litigation ended in the Electoral college, met the election was
over, and here is President Trump's former press secretary.
I wanted to clarify, Uh, ms Mcenany. So back to my previous question.
It was your view, then. Or was it your view that the efforts to overturn
the election should have stopped once the litigation was complete?
In my view upon the conclusion of litigation was when I began to
plan for life after the administration.
And this is what Ivanka Trump taught us.
December, 14th was the day on which the Electoral College met when
these electors around the country met and cast the electoral votes
consistent with the popular vote in each state, and and it was obviously
a public proceeding or a series of proceedings.
That the president Biden had obtained the requisite number of electors
was that an important day for you did that affect sort of your planning
or your realization as to whether or not there was going to be an
end of this administration?
I think so. I think it was my
My sentiment, probably prior as well.
Judd Deere was a White House deputy press secretary.
This was his testimony about what he told President Trump.
I told him that my personal viewpoint was that the Electoral college
had met, which is the
Uh
Hmm.
System that our country is is said under to elect a president and
vice president, and I believed that point that the
Mainz for him to pursue.
Litigation. Um
Was probably closed.
And you recall what his response, if any, was
He disagreed.
We have also seen this testimony from Attorney General Barr reflecting
a view of the White House staff in late November. 2020.
And then at that point I left and as I walked out of the Oval Office,
Jared was there with Dan Scavino, who ran his
Ran the president's social media and who I thought was a reasonable
guy and believe is a reasonable guy.
And I said, How long is How long is he gonna
Carry on with this stolen election stuff. Where is this going to
go? And by that time Meadows had caught up with me.
And leaving the office and caught up to me and and said, uh, that,
um Ah.
He said. Look, I I think
that he's becoming more realistic and knows that there's a limit
to how far he can take this. And then Jared said, you know, Yeah,
we're working on this. We're working on it.
Likewise, in this testimony, Cassidy Hutchinson and aid to Mark Meadows
described her conversations with President Trump's director of National
intelligence. John Wreck left a former Republican congressman.
Had expressed me that he was concerned that it could spiral out of
control.
And
Potentially
Be dangerous.
Either.
For our democracy or
Way that things were going for the sex.
Of course, Underlying. All of this is the fundamental principle that
the president of the United States cannot simply disregard the rulings
of state and federal courts, which are empowered to address specific
election related claims.
The president cannot simply pretend that the courts had not ruled.
By that time, uh, the president whereas associates had brought had
lost 60 out of 61 cases, uh, that they had brought to challenge different
aspects of
Uh, the election in a number of states. They lost 60 out of 61 of
those cases. Um, so by the time we get to January 3rd that that's
that's been clear.
Um
I assume Pat that you would agree the president is is, uh,
Obligated to abide by the rulings of the court.
Course.
And I assume you also everybody. Everybody is obligated by
And I assume you also would agree. The president has a particular
obligation to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.
That is one of the president's obligations. Correct.
Yet President Trump disregarded these court rulings and the council
from his closest advisors and continued his efforts to cling to power.
In our prior hearings, you have heard considerable testimony about
President Trump's attempts to corruptly pressure vice president Pence
to refuse to count electoral electoral votes to corrupt the Department
of Justice.
To pressure state officials in state legislatures and to create and
submit a series of fake electoral slates. Now we will show you what
other actions President Trump was taking between December 14th 2020
in January. 6th.