Trump Cancels Jan. 6 Mar-a-Lago Conference, Lays Blame on 'Total Bias & Dishonesty' of House Panel
23:14 GMT 04.01.2022 (Updated: 00:10 GMT 05.01.2022)
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Former US President Donald Trump announced in December 2021 that he would hold a press conference from his Mar-a-Lago resort on January 6, marking the one-year anniversary of his supporters' deadly riot at the US Capitol building. Alyssa Farah, a former Trump staffer, argued that the event was a tone-deaf move and that Trump should "stay silent."
Trump's news conference will not be held on January 6 as previously planned, according to a Tuesday statement by the 45th US president.
"I am canceling the January 6 Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally on Saturday, January 15, in Arizona—it will be a big crowd!" Trump said.
Trump claimed that the decision to cancel his media event in Palm Beach, Florida, came in light of what he characterized as "total bias and dishonesty" in the US House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.
TRUMP cancels his Jan. 6 press conference at Mar-a-Lago. pic.twitter.com/Tb09nR0EC7
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) January 4, 2022
Earlier on Tuesday, the 9-member panel released a series of text messages between then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Fox News host and Trump supporter Sean Hannity.
During the pre-January 6, 2021, exchange, Hannity floated to Meadows that Trump should not oppose Congress' certification of the Electoral College vote from the November 2020 US presidential election.
"I do NOT see January 6 happening the way [Trump] is being told," the Fox News host texted on December 31, 2020, to the former White House chief of staff.
In his texts at the time Hannity suggested Trump return to Florida and become a proponent for election reforms.
These Hannity texts are pretty damning. pic.twitter.com/koMHv8nUVx
— Angry Staffer (@Angry_Staffer) January 4, 2022
"Stay engaged,” Hannity said. “When he speaks people will listen."
Additionally, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), chairman of the House Select Committee, has declared that the panel would like to hear directly from former US Vice President Mike Pence, who certified the results of the 2020 presidential election.
"I would hope that he would do the right thing and come forward and voluntarily talk to the committee," Thompson said, noting that no formal request or order has been filed.
