The House Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack in its seventh hearing revealed that Donald Trump had drafted a tweet urging his supporters to march to the Capitol building.

Sharing the unpublished message, Rep Stephanie Murphy, who co-led the hearing, said that the attack was ‘deliberate’. 

Also read: Jan 6 hearing: US House Committee probes ‘unhinged’ meeting, Trump rally call

“I will be making a Big Speech at 10AM on January 6th at the Ellipse (South of the White House). Please arrive early, massive crowds expected. March to the Capitol after. Stop the Steal!!” the draft tweet says. 

The House committee obtained the draft from the National Archives. It was stamped with the words “president has seen”.

Also read: What happened on December 18, 2020: ‘Craziest meeting of Trump presidency’

“The evidence confirms that this was not a spontaneous call to action, but rather a deliberate strategy decided upon in advance by the president,” Murphy said. 

The committee further showed messages from some of the January 6 rally organizers indicating that they knew that the plan was to attack the Capitol. 

The Jan 6 panel also showed texts by Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale to spokesperson Katrina Pierson on January 6, 2021. The former asked ‘for a civil war’. 

Also read: Trump’s ‘Be there, will be wild!’ tweet triggered Capitol attack: Jan 6 committee

Parscale wrote: “this is about trump’s pushing for uncertainty…A sitting president asking for civil war…This week I feel guilty for helping him win.”

Pierson responded, “you did what you felt right at the time. And therefore it was right.”

Parscale responded, “yeah, but a woman is dead” and “yeah, if I was trump and I knew my rhetoric killed someone.”

Pierson replied: “it wasn’t rhetoric.”

Parscale wrote back, “Katrina. Yes it was.”

Also read: Jan 6 hearings: Pat Cipollone ‘believed Donald Trump should’ve conceded’

The House committee said that Donald Trump’s tweet early on December 19 was call to action for his supporters to attack the US Capitol. 

 “WE HAVE JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT!!!” the former President tweeted on December 12. 

“Statistically impossible to have lost the 2020 Election. Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!” he said a week later.