Donald Trump admitted that he would have gone to the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, if he hadn't been stopped by Secret Service in a newly surfaced audio clip released by CNN.
Jonathan Karl, whose book Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party hit shelves earlier this week, spoke with the embattled ex-president on March 18, 2021, about the Capitol riots.
"If you look at the real size of that crowd, it was never reported correctly. There were— it’s the biggest crowd I’ve ever spoken in front of by far. By far," Trump told Karl in the recording.
When Karl asked for confirmation that Trump told someone that he would be going to the Capitol, the 77-year-old replied, "I was going to and then Secret Service said you can’t, and then by the time— I would have, and then when I get back, I saw— I wanted to go back."
"I was thinking about going back during the problem to stop the problem, doing it myself," Trump continued. "Secret Service didn’t like that idea too much."
"And I could have done that, and you know what? I would have been very well received," he added. "Don’t forget, the people that went to Washington that day, in my opinion, they went because they thought the election was rigged. That’s why they went."
As OK! previously reported, Trump was indicted in August on four felony counts for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and his actions surrounding the January 6 Capitol riots.
His charges include conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.
The trial is set to begin on Monday, March 4, one day before the Presidential Primary Election.
Trump was also indicted for a fourth time for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. He was charged alongside 18 co-defendants including Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows.
His charges were racketeering, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, conspiracy to commit filing false documents, filing false documents and making false statements and writings.
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Trump currently faces a total of 91 felony counts across four indictments.
He's pleaded "not guilty" to all charges.
