Senators at odds on Trump’s post-election DOJ meeting

The Senate Judiciary Committee split along party lines in how it interpreted President Donald Trump’s actions in the days leading up to the Jan. 6 riots. Democrats issued a 394-page staff report based on document reviews and interviews with top officials saying Trump pressured federal employees to call the election corrupt. The Republicans on the committee released a 140-page minority report that tells a different story. It called Trump wise in listening to all his advisers and said it was within his authority to direct the Justice Department to legitimate complaints of possible election fraud.

What happened on Jan. 3? The majority report said seven Justice Department officials met with Trump in the Oval Office. It characterized the meeting as an hourslong, intense argument in which Trump threatened to fire then–acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. The minority report called the meeting calmer and more business-like, with Trump ultimately deciding not to fire Rosen. The committee’s investigation is still ongoing, and these are both interim reports.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Stew on the latest 2020 election audit.