JTFMax:

There are a few images and statements from the ongoing hearings on the storming of the American Capitol on January 6, 2021, that will haunt the United States for a long time: then President Donald Trump. He is said to have grabbed his limousine driver for refusing to drive him to the Capitol. The riots just took their course there.

Or Cassidy Hutchinson, the assistant to the White House chief of staff at the time, helped Trump wipe leftovers and ketchup off the walls after the former president threw a tantrum. After former Attorney General William Barr said in an interview that there was no evidence of voter fraud, the US President got so angry that he threw his lunch across the room.

Hutchinson, who has just appeared as a "surprise witness" at the hearings, could have turned the entire investigation around with her statements and descriptions of what was happening in the White House in early January 2021 - with legal consequences for Donald Trump. At least that's how many experts see it, as the New York Times reported.

The investigation into the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, is aimed at bringing those responsible to justice, and hundreds of indictments have already been filed. However, experts have been divided as to whether the evidence would be sufficient to charge Donald Trump. At least for attempted obstruction of the election process - or whether the former US President would always be able to use the excuse that he only wanted to prevent alleged election fraud and therefore always acted to the best of our knowledge and belief.

"Until now, we had no evidence that he knew about the violence."

"There's still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the question of criminal intent when it comes to the president," Alan Rozenshtein, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, is quoted as saying in the New York Times, "but what just happened has that expected result for me changed." Based on these statements, Rozenshtein considers it likely that Trump will now also be charged. And not just because of obstruction of the election process. Possibly also for instigating the riot and for not only approving a violent march on the Capitol but because he even wanted to take part in it as a leader.

In short, the presented statements can be interpreted in such a way that Trump had planned nothing less than a coup.

Trump knew his supporters were prepared for a fight, carrying protective vests, pepper spray, and even assault rifles. To get to the area where Trump intended to deliver his speech would have required many to disarm, which Trump allegedly tried to prevent. "After the rally, you can march straight to the Capitol," he reportedly said. After that, the scramble for the steering wheel is said to have taken place in the president's car because the Secret Service considered a trip to the Capitol too dangerous. It went back to the White House instead, although a route to the Capitol was said to have originally been planned.

"Until now, we had no evidence that he knew about the violence," attorney Daniel Goldman said in the New York Times. Goldman was instrumental in the first impeachment against Trump. "The testimony makes it very clear that he was not fully aware of the threat but wanted gunmen to march on the Capitol. He was even willing to lead them."

These new findings could also weaken the previous defense that Trump only wanted to take action against possible election fraud. The US newspaper cites several experts who agree or suggest that Trump could very well be blamed for the January 6 violence. However, it is currently unclear whether the inquiry committee will continue investigating in this direction and whether charges will be brought.

However, the statements will also increase the pressure on Republicans on whether they want to continue holding on to Trump as a central figure in the party and a possible presidential candidate. In retrospect, according to Hutchinson's descriptions, it seems very lucky that Donald Trump only spilled ketchup in January 2021.