Former President Donald Trump made his first appearance since the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack began, holding public hearings at the Faith and Freedom event in Nashville over the weekend.
“A lot of people wanted to go and testify about what they saw and how crooked [the investigation] was,” Trump told the crowd. “Meanwhile, the committee refuses to play any of the tape of people saying the good things. The things we want to hear. It’s a one-way street. It’s a rigged deal. It’s a disgrace and it’s never happened in the history of our country where we didn’t have any representation.”
Trump continued on to call the investigation and hearings a “witch hunt.”
The ex-President also lashed out at his Vice President Mike Pence and Attorney General Bill Barr, calling them “weak people.” Trump went on to say Pence lacked “courage” for refusing to go along with the plan to reject electors to overturn the 2020 election.
“Mike was afraid of whatever he was afraid of,” Trump said. “But as you heard a year and a half ago, Mike Pence had absolutely no choice but to be a human conveyor belt… even if the votes were fraudulent. He said he had to send the votes… couldn’t do anything,” Trump said.
He also noted that he regretted helping Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) get reelected.
Trump has not officially announced another bid for the White House, but he closed out his speech by teasing a possible run.
“Would anybody like me to run for president?” he asked as the crowd responded in cheers.
