Topline
Former President Donald Trump’s activities during the January 6 attack on the Capitol building are unaccounted for, as the Washington Post and CBS News report official White House call logs and diaries from the date have hours-long gaps as the riot was unfolding—and the House January 6 committee is reportedly investigating whether they were obscured on purpose.
President Donald Trump speaks on the phone in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, … [+]
Key Facts
White House call logs from January 6 published by the Post show a gap of seven hours and 37 minutes between Trump’s calls—from 11:17 a.m. to 6:54 p.m., which includes when the attack was taking place.
The call logs that do exist from that day include multiple calls with former adviser Steve Bannon—who the Post reports encouraged Trump to further pressure Vice President Mike Pence to oppose the election results—and calls with attorney Rudy Giuliani, Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), Fox News host Sean Hannity, adviser Stephen Miller and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
The White House diary from January 6 also has a gap between 1:21 p.m. and 4:03 p.m.—the Capitol attack happened around 2:00 p.m.—and notes at 11:17 a.m. that Trump “had a phone call with an unidentified person.”
While Trump was known to often use his personal cell phone for calls—some of the call logs say they were “via cellular”—sources cited by the Post say the House January 6 Committee is now probing whether Trump communicated “through backchannels, phones of aides or … ‘burner phones’” on January 6.
The gaps are of “intense interest” to lawmakers on the committee, a source told the Post, and the publication reports the committee is investigating if there was a “possible coverup” of the White House’s records.
In a statement to the Post, a Trump spokesperson said he “had nothing to do with the records,” and the ex-president told the publication he has “no idea what a burner phone is, to the best of my knowledge I have never even heard the term.”
What We Don’t Know
Everyone who Trump called during the gap in the logs, though it’s been reported at least some took place. Previous reporting indicates Trump called Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)—accidentally, when he meant to call Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.)—House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Pence on January 6, but those calls are not included on the call log.
Key Background
CNN and the New York Times have previously reported there was a gap in the White House call logs on January 6, but did not say how long it lasted or who Trump called in the periods that were recorded. The call logs were given to the House January 6 Committee by the National Archives as part of a broader tranche of documents the Supreme Court ordered the Archives to turn over, despite Trump’s protestations. Many of those records were incomplete or in disrepair, with the Archives confirming to the Post in January there were “torn-up” documents included in the collection—only some of which that have been “recovered and taped together.” The House committee is still trying to determine whether the records it does have are complete, the Post reports.
What To Watch For
Whether Trump will be found guilty of any crimes related to January 6 and the 2020 election, as the notable gaps in the call log come as he is already coming under significant legal scrutiny for his acts post-election. A federal judge wrote Monday in a ruling forcing attorney John Eastman’s cooperation with the committee that he believed Trump’s attempts to block Congress from certifying the election results “more likely than not constitute attempts to obstruct an official proceeding.” Attorneys for the House committee have also written in a court filing there’s a “good-faith basis” to believe Trump committed obstruction and engaged in a criminal conspiracy, based on the evidence. The House committee cannot itself charge Trump with any crimes, but its findings and the ruling Monday intensify pressure on the Justice Department to investigate Trump—since that could actually result in Trump being charged—which it has not yet given any indication it will do.
Further Reading
Jan. 6 White House logs given to House show 7-hour gap in Trump calls (Washington Post)
Trump ‘More Likely Than Not’ Illegally Tried To Obstruct Election, Federal Judge Says (Forbes)
Some records sent to Jan. 6 committee were torn up, taped back together — mirroring a Trump habit (Washington Post)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/03/29/trumps-white-house-call-logs-show-7-hour-gap-on-january-6-house-committee-reportedly-looking-into-possible-cover-up/