Raskin Says What Trump Did 'Makes the Watergate Break-in Look Like the Work of Cub Scouts'
"When you add all of this up together," said the Maryland Democrat, "it is the greatest political offense against the union and by a president of the United States in our history, nothing comes close to it."
Congressman Jamie Raskin said Sunday that more explosive testimony before Congress in the week ahead will help the American public better understand that what former President Donald Trump perpetrated on and before January 6, 2021 was a series of offensive actions and decisions unprecedented in all of American history.
Asked on "Face the Nation" by host Robert Acosta whether the scheduled hearing on Tuesday would "blow the roof of the house," something Raskin had previously said, the Democrat from Maryland responded: "Well, not literally, certainly. But I think what I meant is that when you add all of this up together, it is the greatest political offense against the union and by a president of the United States in our history, nothing comes close to it."
Raskin, a member of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, is set to lead the Tuesday hearing, which will the seventh by the committee thus far.
"The attempt to overthrow the result of a presidential election through a political coup, and the mobilization of an armed violent mob cannot really be compared to anything else a president has done," said Raskin. "It makes the Watergate break-in look like the work of Cub Scouts."
\u201c"Will your statement still stand...that these hearings will blow the roof off the house?" @costareports asks Jan. 6 committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin.\n\n"Well, not literally," Raskin says, but adds that Jan. 6 "makes the Watergate break-in look like the work of Cub Scouts."\u201d— Face The Nation (@Face The Nation) 1657469015
On Friday, the Jan 6. committee received sworn testimony behind closed doors from former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who was serving as Trump's lawyer before, during, and immediately after the resurrection. According to Politico on Sunday, Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), also a member of the committee, said Cippolone--despite claiming attorney-client privilege throughout the questioning--still provided "a lot of relevant information" while under oath.
"I think there was a lot of information that fit into this bigger puzzle that we're putting together," Murphy said.
Speaking with Acosta, Raskin also said Cipollone's testimony was valuable.
"We're going to get to use a lot of Mr. Cipollone's testimony to corroborate other things we've learned along the way," Raskin said. "He was the White House counsel at the time, he was aware of every major move I think that Donald Trump was making to try to overthrow the 2020 election and essentially seize the presidency."
Watch the full interview: