White House counsel reportedly concerned Trump was committing treason
After supporters of President Trump stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, several White House staffers worried that they were unwitting participants in a coup, Vanity Fair's Gabriel Sherman reports.
The mob was incited by Trump, who wants to overturn the results of the presidential election. One staffer told a friend that White House Counsel Pat Cipollone was warning officials to stay away from Trump, so they wouldn't appear to be assisting or enabling his actions, Sherman reports. By steering clear of the president, "they could reduce the chance they could be prosecuted for treason under the Sedition Act," he explained.
One Republican close to the White House told Sherman that several business leaders, horrified by what they saw happening at the Capitol, tried to call Trump to ask him to call off the mob, but he refused to take any calls. Some members of the GOP turned to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to see if he would intervene, but he also wasn't returning text messages or phone calls.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The small Caribbean island courting crypto billionsUnder the Radar Crypto mogul Olivier Janssens plans to create a libertarian utopia on Nevis
-
Political cartoons for December 21Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include Christmas movies, AI sermons, and more
-
A luxury walking tour in Western AustraliaThe Week Recommends Walk through an ‘ancient forest’ and listen to the ‘gentle hushing’ of the upper canopy
-
US offers Ukraine NATO-like security pact, with caveatsSpeed Read The Trump administration has offered Ukraine security guarantees similar to those it would receive from NATO
-
Hong Kong court convicts democracy advocate LaiSpeed Read Former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai was convicted in a landmark national security trial
-
Australia weighs new gun laws after antisemitic attackSpeed Read A father and son opened fire on Jewish families at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing at least 15
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Benin thwarts coup attemptSpeed Read President Patrice Talon condemned an attempted coup that was foiled by the West African country’s army
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
