Trump Calls Jan. 6 Hearings A 'One-sided Witch Hunt,' Lashes Out At Ally

Former President Donald Trump has turned his ire toward an ally as the House Select Committee releases its findings following an investigation into the events that led to the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He also called the public hearings on the matter a “one-sided witch hunt.”

Speaking at a congressional panel in Nashville last Friday, the former president blasted House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for not putting any Trump supporters on the committee — an apparent reference to McCarthy’s decision to boycott the select committee after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two of the five Republicans he proposed to join the panel.

"I don't understand why Kevin didn't put anyone on the committee," Trump said, a Republican with knowledge of the comments told CNN.

Trump also blasted McCarthy publicly during an interview with conservative talk show host Wayne Allyn Root and claimed there was no Republican representation on the committee.

“This committee was a bad decision, not to have representation on that committee,” the former president said. “That was a very, very foolish decision because you know, they try and pretend like they're legit, and only when you get into the inner workings you say, 'what kind of a thing is this? it's just a one-sided witch hunt.'"

The House Select Committee has Republican representation through Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. Her participation in the panel keeps the committee bipartisan.

Trump’s remarks come after the House Select Committee on Tuesday held the fourth public hearing where it presented evidence showing how Trump and his former attorney Rudy Giuliani were personally involved in putting forward an alternate slate of electors to replace those awarded to Joe Biden.

In addition, the panel also found that the conspiracy theories Trump and his allies had promoted destroyed the lives of several election workers. Shaye Moss, an elections worker in Fulton County, Georgia, was one of the many that Giuliani accused of committing election fraud. As a result, she received death threats on Facebook, leading Moss to live in hiding for two months.

Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state who Trump urged to “find votes” to overturn Biden’s win in the state, said the home of his son’s widow had been broken into following the election.

The House Select Committee is expected to hold the fifth public hearing Thursday. At that session, the panel will release evidence showing Trump’s efforts to persuade the Justice Department to declare that the election was rife with voter fraud.