There are gaps in Trump's call logs on the day of the insurrection, NYT report
- The January 6 committee is struggling to recreate what Trump did on the day of the insurrection.
- The New York Times reports that there are gaps in Trump's official call logs from the day.
Lawmakers are struggling to piece together who President Donald Trump talked to on the day of the insurrection after discovering gaps in the official White House call logs, The New York Times reports.
The House January 6 Committee has not found evidence "that any official records were tampered with or deleted," the Times reports, but Trump had a well-documented habit of using his personal cell phone and his aides' phones to make calls. Per the Times, "at least one person who tried to call Trump on his cellphone" had their call picked up by an aide.
Recreating what Trump did and who he talked to remains one of the lawmakers' key tasks as they continue to investigate the Capitol riot. Rep. Liz Cheney, the top Republican on the panel, has argued that Trump's failure to more forcefully respond while rioters ransacked the Capitol amounts to a dereliction of duty and could result in a criminal referral.
The Times reports that the committee is still waiting to receive White House records after Trump failed to block them from doing so. The panel has also subpoenaed telecommunications companies for the call records of Donald Trump Jr. and other close aides.
So far, the panel has received testimony that Trump watched the riot on TV as it unfolded, long before he posted on Twitter that those attacking the Capitol should go home. During his Senate impeachment trial, House Democrats also claimed that Trump briefly spoke to GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville before lawmakers were removed from the chamber as a security precaution. Trump also had what some have described as a heated conversation with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
"Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are," Trump reportedly told McCarthy as the exasperated lawmaker pleaded with the president to call off the mob.
Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, has said that the panel still intends to hold public hearings soon. A spokesperson for the committee declined to comment on the report.