Stephanie Grisham, the former Trump White House press secretary, gave a particularly revealing interview to the House committee investigating the January 6th Capitol attack, according to The Guardian, and told them that Trump held secret meetings in his East Wing residence in the days before the riot.
Grisham, who had become Melania Trump’s top aide by January 6th, said Mark Meadows, the former president’s chief of staff, had arranged the clandestine meetings. She said she did not know who attended, but The Guardian, citing a former Trump administration official, reports that Trump confidant “Peter Navarro tried at least once to quietly usher into the residence Sidney Powell, a lawyer pushing lies about election fraud, to speak with Trump.”
Grisham also told the House committee that the Secret Service likely had documents indicating whether Trump actually intended on walking to the Capitol with the rioters on January 6th.
In his infamous speech at the Ellipse, near the White House, that day, Trump boomed “After this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you, we’re going to walk down, we’re going to walk down.” Ultimately, Trump broke that promise.
The Guardian explains:
The former president’s purported intention to go to the Capitol has emerged as a crucial issue for the select committee, as they examine whether Trump oversaw a criminal conspiracy coordinating his political plan to stop Biden’s certification with the insurrection.
Trump’s promise is significant as it served as one of the primary motivations for his supporters to march to the Capitol alongside militia groups like the Oath Keepers, and was used by far-right activists like Alex Jones to encourage the crowd along the route.
The committee chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), has previously indicated that he’s seeking Secret Service records related to Trump’s movements on January 6th.
