President Donald Trump planned secretly days before January 6 to lead his supporters from the Ellipse outside of the White House down to the US Capitol, where he hoped to deliver remarks outside of the building.
Mr Trump’s plans were revealed on Tuesday for the first time by the January 6 committee, whose members obtained private text messages between White House officials and far right figures including MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, as well as a draft tweet which Mr Trump apparently planned to send days before his supporters arrived at the Capitol.
Together, the messages outline what Rep Stephanie Murphy referred to as a “deliberate strategy” to concentrate Mr Trump’s supporters at the Capitol as the Electoral College results were being certified.
“I will be making a Big Speech at 10AM on January 6th at the Ellipse… Please arrive early, massive crowds expected. March to the Capitol after. Stop the Steal!!” read the draft tweet Mr Trump apparently intended to send. A stamp on the document indicated that it was approved by the president himself.
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