WASHINGTON, D.C. — "Where do I begin?" Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) asked, speaking to Raw Story after the House Select Committee's sixth public hearing.
She explained that what former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson revealed on Tuesday was "a total betrayal by the president of the United States and their oath" of office. "It was a setup. He was a part of it. He wanted to lead it. He wanted to lead the criminal insurrection, the overthrow of the government. His own government."
What stood out in this hearing, Dean explained, is how brave Hutchinson was, but also "the transparently grotesque behavior by the president — the child-like behavior of throwing plates. The temper tantrum in 'The Beast,' the attempt to grab the wheel. The stark silence of Mark Meadows. It's just a shocking betrayal."
She went on to say that the "threat of violence was known" to those in the White House in the days ahead of the attack. Hutchinson explained that both the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were talked about around Jan. 3, 2021.
"What were the Capitol Police told? Where was the National Guard?" Dean asked. "Of course, they were never going to be called by this president."
As DC Metro Officer Daniel Hodges said, "we were set up" to be attacked.
At the same time, a document was revealed that the Proud Boys used for their planning. Among the instructions were specific intersections for people to clog using their cars. The purpose, according to the document, was to try to slow down the inevitable law enforcement response that would come once the Capitol came under attack.
"With a large caravan, simply have cars block intersections. Ideally, one should halt the flow of cars where Independence Ave, and Pennsylvania Avenue meet," the document says. "The intersection of Maryland Avenue and Constitution Avenue is another good area to block off. Traffic blocks have network effects. The Rerouting traffic will block other important areas, and also stop access to any law enforcement vehicles."
Dean also mentioned Trump's obsession with his crowd size, which was among the first things his presidency discussed after the inaugural crowd turned out to be much smaller than anticipated.
"He didn't like the crowd size? He wanted to remove the 'effing magnetometers,'" Dean quoted.
Trump's quote that they weren't there to hurt him was the most "damning," she explained. "There's no wiggling out of that. There's no explanation for it. There's no excuse. As Miss Hutchinson said, she was disgusted by the unpatriotic behavior of an American president who she worked for."
When asked about the 25th Amendment being invoked, Dean asked, "where were the Secretaries? Come on. Where were the Secretaries? They found the courage to resign. They couldn't find the courage to do their duty."
With additional reporting from Matt Laslo.