FBI forensics show Trump watched TV and tweeted instead of stopping Capitol riot

confirmed Importance 10/10 ~1 min read 3 sources 3 actors

Media Capture & Control Legislative Capture Intelligence Penetration Executive Power Expansion

FBI forensic analysis of Trump’s iPhone revealed he spent the afternoon of January 6 in the White House dining room watching TV coverage of the Capitol riot while using Twitter, refusing to call off the attack. Three witnesses testified the TV was tuned to news covering the riot in real time. FBI experts mapped Trump’s phone activity showing consistent Twitter use throughout the day rather than taking action to stop the violence that injured 140 officers.

Sources & Citations

[1] Donald Trump's Phone Will Provide Critical Evidence in Jack Smith Trial · Oct 25, 2024 Tier 2

[2] Special counsel Jack Smith provides fullest picture yet of his 2020 election case against Trump · Oct 2, 2024 Tier 1

[3] Report of Special Counsel Smith Volume 1 January 2025 · Jan 14, 2025 Tier 1

Tiers Tier 1 court records & gov docs · Tier 2 established outlets · Tier 3 regional & specialty press · Tier 4 opinion or single-source. Methodology →

Cite this entry

The Cascade Ledger. “FBI forensics show Trump watched TV and tweeted instead of stopping Capitol riot.” The Capture Cascade Timeline, January 6, 2021. https://capturecascade.org/event/2021-01-06--trump-watches-tv-refuses-act-during-riot/