Trump held secret meetings in days before Capitol attack | First Thing

Former White House press secretary provided significant details to House select committee investigating the 6 January attack

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Good morning.

There was a lot of initial excitement around the House select committee tasked with investigating the 6 January attack on the US Capitol securing the cooperation of the former White House press secretary and longtime Donald Trump insider Stephanie Grisham.

Grisham was Melania Trump's chief of staff when she resigned on 6 January 2021, the day Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to halt the election certification of Joe Biden's win.

Her interview with the House committee was more significant than expected, according to sources, with her informing investigators that details of whether Trump actually intended to march to the Capitol after his speech at the Ellipse rally would be memorialized in documents provided to the US Secret Service.

What took place and who took part in these secret meetings is still unknown, but Grisham purportedly provided the names of other Trump aides who would have that information, including Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and former chief usher, Timothy Harleth.