Newly released testimony from a White House staffer who was present with Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, sheds light on the tense confrontation that allegedly occurred between the former president and Mike Pence that day.
According to the anonymous worker's account, Trump had a phone call with Mike Pence, during which the former president warned him that supporting the results of the presidential elections, which gave Joe Biden the win, could end the political career of the then-vice president.
"Mike, this is a political career killer," Trump told Pence in their telephone conversation, according to the White House worker.
The transcript of the employee's testimony before the House Committee, which is investigating the events of January 6, 2021, also recounts that the former president was enraged by Pence's refusal to follow his instructions and seemed indifferent when he was informed that a civilian had been shot dead during the protests at the Capitol.
However, despite the unflattering nature of the White House worker's statements, the testimony does not confirm several of the most serious and damning claims made against Trump.
The employee admitted that he does not remember hearing Trump use violent language to describe Pence, or agreeing with protesters calling for the then-vice president to be hanged.
"I think close to the end of the day, he just mentioned that Mike let him down. And that was it," the worker said.
However, he does remember hearing Trump ask about the possibility of contacting senior officials to send the National Guard to the Capitol, although there is no evidence that this ultimately occurred.
This revelation of the explosive conversation between Donald Trump and Mike Pence comes amid an ongoing debate between Democrats and Republicans over the former president's role in the events of January 6. According to reports in The New York Times, he obtained the transcript of testimony from House Republicans, who accuse the January 6 committee of omitting from its hearings and reports anything that did not fit its narrative.
Barry Loudermilk, the Republican who has questioned the committee's work on January 6, told the Times that although there are statements in the White House staffer's transcript that may not be favorable to Trump, all information is being exposed, "not doing what the select committee did."
