Committee Releases Jan. 6 Texts from Fox Hosts, Trump Jr.
AllSides Summary
On Monday, the House Jan. 6 Committee released several texts received during the Capitol riot by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows from several Fox News hosts, lawmakers and Donald Trump Jr.
Many of the texts — provided by Meadows himself while he was cooperating with the panel — urged Meadows to convince then-President Donald Trump to tell his supporters to leave the Capitol building. In one exchange, Trump Jr. wrote, “He’s got to condemn this s--- ASAP. The Capitol Police tweet is not enough,” and Meadows replied, “I'm pushing it hard. I agree.” The release came just before the panel voted to recommend holding Meadows in criminal contempt of Congress over his refusal to continue cooperating with lawmakers.
Coverage came mostly from the left and center on Tuesday. Some voices on the left saw the texts as exposing the hypocrisy of people who had purportedly publicly downplayed the riot. Some voices on the right argued that the texts vindicated their senders by proving their disapproval of the riot. Update 12/14/21 3:25 PM EST: Previous version stated the release came after, not before, the committee's vote on holding Meadows in contempt of Congress.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Rep. Liz Cheney read text messages she said Mark Meadows got during the Jan. 6 siege
Prior to a unanimous vote to refer Mark Meadows for contempt of Congress charges, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the ranking Republican on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, read a series of text messages she said Meadows received during the Capitol attack.
In the messages, several figures, including Donald Trump Jr. and Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity, urge Meadows to get then-President Donald Trump to tell his supporters to leave the Capitol.
Cheney said Meadows, who was Trump's White House chief of staff during the...
From the Right
Texts reveal Fox News hosts, Don Jr. begged Meadows to get Trump to act on Jan. 6 riot
Several Fox News hosts attempted to prod President Trump to intervene when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, according to text messages revealed by the House committee investigating the attack.
Rep. Liz Cheney, Wyoming Republican and vice chair of the committee, read to the panel several of the exchanges between the hosts and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
“Multiple Fox News host knew the president needed to act immediately,” Ms. Cheney said at the hearing Monday evening when the panel unanimously voted to hold Mr. Meadows in contempt of Congress for failing to cooperate with...
From the Left
‘He’s got to condemn this …’: Panel releases urgent Jan. 6 texts from Donald Trump Jr., lawmakers and Fox hosts 
As rioters swarmed the Capitol, President Donald Trump’s eldest son pleaded with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to get his father to do more to end the violence.
“He’s got to condemn this [shit] Asap. The Capitol Police tweet is not enough,” Donald Trump Jr. texted, one of a series of messages Meadows provided to the Jan. 6 select committee investigating the former president’s effort to overturn the election.
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