Donald Trump rebutted his own daughter’s evidence against him at the first January 6 hearing on Friday, saying Ivanka had “checked out” on election issues.
The former president also raged at his former Attorney General Bill Barr for turning on him during the investigation into the Capitol insurrection.
A congressional panel probing the January 6 2021 attack aired recorded testimony in which Ivanka said she did not believe her father’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen from him.
In a post on the social media platform Truth Social on Friday, Trump sought to downplay his daughter's involvement, despite her being one of his most trusted allies during his four years in the White House.
“Ivanka Trump was not involved in looking at, or studying, election results. She had long since checked out and was, in my opinion, only trying to be respectful to Bill Barr and his position as Attorney General (he sucked!)," Trump wrote.
On Thursday night, the House panel played parts of their interview with Mr Barr, who said that Mr Trump’s false claims of fraud were “bulls***” and that he didn’t want to be “a part of it”.
“I had three discussions with the president that I can recall,” Mr Barr told the committee. “One was on November 23, one was on December 1 and one on December 14, and I’ve been through sort of the give and take of those discussions and in that context, I made it clear I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out this stuff, which I told the president was bulls***,” he added during the pre-recorded interview first shared with the public on Thursday night.
“And I didn’t want to be a part of it, and that’s one of the reasons that went into me deciding to leave when I did. I observed, I think it was December 1, you know, he can’t live in a world where the incumbent administration stays in power based on its view, unsupported by specific evidence, that there was fraud in the election,” he added.
Mr Trump attacked Mr Barr on Truth Social.
“Bill Barr was a weak and frightened Attorney General who was always being ‘played’ and threatened by the Democrats and was scared stiff of being impeached,” Mr Trump wrote.
“How do you not get impeached? Do nothing, or say nothing, especially about the obviously rigged and stolen election or, to put it another way, the crime of the century! The Democrats hit pay dirt with Barr, he was stupid, ridiculously said there was no problem with the election, and they left him alone. It worked for him, but not for our Country!” Mr Trump added.
Mr Trump wrote in a second post on Mr Barr that he “was a coward who would not let his US Attorney in Philadelphia, where election fraud was rampant, to even think about looking at it ... I believe that by their inaction, others were told this also!”
“The so-called ‘Rush on the Capitol’ was not caused by me, it was caused by a Rigged and Stolen Election!” Mr Trump claimed.
“I NEVER said, or even thought of saying, ‘Hang Mike Pence’. This is either a made up story by somebody looking to become a star, or FAKE NEWS!” Mr Trump wrote regarding evidence that he reacted positively to the chants of his supporters to hang the vice president for refusing to help to overturn the election.
“Many people spoke to me about the Election results, both pro and con, but I never wavered one bit – follow the facts and proof. The 2020 Presidential Election was Rigged and Stolen…And look at our Country now - not pretty!!!” Mr Trump posted on Truth Social, repeating his false claims of election fraud.
Trump critics reacted to Ms Trump’s testimony on Twitter.
“IVANKA TRUMP SINKS DADDY says she accepted Barr’s assessment that the fraud claim was nonsense. Goodness,” broadcaster Keith Olbermann wrote.
“If anything will penetrate the GOP disinformation bubble, I’d think it would be statements from Ivanka, Pence, and Bill Barr,” lawyer Teri Kanefield tweeted. “I mean, they’re not exactly radical Democrats or even ‘never Trump Republicans’.”
Journalist David Corn tweeted that Ms Trump was “essentially calling her father a liar or a delusional con man. Maybe both”.
“Ivanka trump – testified bill Barr told the truth – no election interference – said she believed Barr - pushed daddy under bus,” actor John Cusack added.
