- Two people heard secondhand that Trump agreed with calls to hang Mike Pence on January 6, NYT reports.
- Two witnesses testified to the January 6 Committee that Mark Meadows told them about it.
- Trump had also complained to Meadows about Pence getting taken out of the Capitol, the people said.
Two witnesses have testified to the House January 6 Committee that they heard secondhand that then-President Donald Trump reacted positively to calls by January 6 rioters to hang Vice President Mike Pence, The New York Times reports.
The witnesses said they heard from then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows that Trump had complained to him about Pence getting taken out of the Capitol during the insurrection, and made a comment that Pence should maybe be hung, The Times reported. The newspaper reported that it was "not clear what tone" Trump used.
One unnamed witness first told the committee they had heard the remark, which was later confirmed by former Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who was at the White House on January 6.
Meadows himself stopped voluntarily cooperating with the January 6 Committee in December. He also defied a subpoena to provide testimony to the panel, leading the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives to vote to hold him in contempt of Congress and refer his case to the Justice Department. So far, DOJ has not yet acted.
A spokesman for Trump, Taylor Budowich, did not deny the reported testimony and instead attacked the committee in a statement to The Times.
"This partisan committee's vague 'leaks,' anonymous testimony and willingness to alter evidence proves it's just an extension of the Democrat smear campaign that has been exposed time and time again for being fabricated and dishonest," Budowich said. "Americans are tired of the Democrat lies and the charades, but, sadly, it's the only thing they have to offer."
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.