The January 6 Select Committee has received a draft of an Executive Order never issued by Trump that would have allowed him to order the government to seize voting machines from the 2020 election.
The draft was among the documents that Trump lawyers were attempting to shield from the investigation. Also in the hands of the Select Committee is a draft of a “national healing” speech that Trump was to deliver on January 6 that condemned and sharply criticized the rioters.
The EO is dated December 16, 2020, and figuratively has Sidney Powell’s fingerprints all over it, as she and others pushed Trump to seize voting machines and appoint her as a special counsel to investigate the machines and the election.
The draft cites conspiracy theories about election fraud in Georgia and Michigan, and debunked notions about Dominion machines.
The order cited “the forensic report of Antrim County, Michigan,” suggesting an internet security breach. The report’s author also confused the Michigan county with one in Minnesota.
An analysis of the Executive Order said it represented an abuse of emergency powers, and a total misunderstanding of them, the equivalent of “a kid scrawling on the wall with crayons.”
Also in the documents obtained was a speech Trump was supposed to give on January 6 labeled “Remarks on National Healing.”
It began, “I would like to begin today by addressing the heinous attack that took place yesterday at the United States Capitol,” it opens. “Like all Americans, I was outraged and sickened by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem. I immediately deployed the National Guard and federal law enforcement to secure the building and expel the intruders. America is, and must always be, a nation of law and order.”
- Defense Secretary at the time Christopher Miller “has testified under oath that the President never contacted him at any time on January 6th, and never, at any time, issued him any order to deploy the National Guard.”
- The drafted stated: “The Demonstrators who infiltrated the Capitol have defiled the seat of American Democracy…To those who engaged in acts of violence and destruction, I want to be very clear: you do not represent me. You do not represent our movement. You do not represent our country. And if you broke the law, you belong in jail.”
Instead, Trump said this:
“We have to have peace. So go home. We love you. You’re very special. You’ve seen what happens, you see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel.”
The draft also called for cooler tempers.
“But as for THIS election, Congress has now certified the results,” the remarks say. “The election fight is over. A new administration will be inaugurated on January 20th. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation.”
