A trove of text messages obtained by CNN reveal that a number of Republicans were convinced that Donald Trump could immediately stop the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but that the then-president failed to take any action for hours.
The messages “began pouring into the cellphone” of White House chief of staff Mark Meadows within minutes of the breach of the Capitol and throughout the afternoon, with pleas to get Trump to call off the violence, CNN reported.
Republican members of Congress, former members of the Trump administration, Fox Newshosts and even Donald Trump Jr. reached out to Meadows, clearly convinced Trump could quell the insurrection aimed at overturning the 2020 election and keeping Trump in office.
