Former US president Donald Trump and his supporters continue to pose a "clear and present danger" to American democracy, a retired federal judge who advised former vice president Mike Pence has said.
J Michael Luttig made his comments as part of explosive testimony in front of a House of Representatives committee on Thursday.
The nine-member panel has spent nearly a year investigating the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol.
It heard how the former president repeatedly pressured Mr Pence, whose job it was to certify the 2020 presidential election results, to reject votes from states that Mr Trump falsely said had suffered from voter fraud.
Witnesses described his last-ditch efforts to persuade Mr Pence to overturn the election as “nuts,” “crazy” and even likely to incite riots.
"Had vice president Pence obeyed the orders from the president … that declaration of Donald Trump as the next president would have plunged America into what I believe would have been tantamount to a revolution within a paralysing constitutional crisis in America,” Mr Luttig said.
The renowned conservative legal scholar called Mr Trump's continuing refusal to accept the election results and his supporters' continued propagation of lies a "clear and present danger" to democracy in the US.
Mr Luttig outlined how close he believed democracy came to collapsing as he appeared at the committee's third June hearing.
The session focused on the pressure campaign mounted by Mr Trump against Mr Pence to help him cling to power.
The panel heard how Mr Trump had relied on his spurious legal theory that his vice president could overturn the election through the advice of his lawyer, John Eastman.
"There was no basis in the constitution or the laws of the United States at all for the theory espoused by Mr Eastman. At all. None," Mr Luttig said.
Mr Eastman refused to co-operate with the panel's investigation.
The former president tried to have Mr Pence overturn the presidential election during meetings in the days leading up to January 6.
On the morning of January 6, he called Mr Pence, and daughter Ivanka Trump testified that "the conversation was pretty heated". Others said the former president threw insults at Mr Pence.
Mr Trump still tried to persuade him by mentioning him several times in a "Stop the Steal" speech, where he told rallygoers to "fight like hell" on a march to the Capitol.
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Members of the Proud Boys storming the US Capitol on January 6. AFP -
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington on January 6. AFP -
Proud Boys march with demonstrators during a protest against the Covid-19 vaccine in New York. AFP -
Members of the far-right Proud Boys, including leader Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio, rally in support of former president Donald Trump. Reuters -
A leader of the Proud Boys and four other members of the far-right group were indicted on sedition charges on June 6, 2022, in connection with the January 6 assault on the US Capitol. AFP -
Tarrio faces charges related to the failed attempt by Trump supporters to block Democrat Joe Biden's election victory. AFP -
A British filmmaker followed Tarrio as part of a documentary film. AFP -
Tarrio holds an American flag during a protest. AFP -
Proud Boys gather on the National Mall in Washington. Reuters -
Tarrio speaks to the media following his release from the DC Central Detention Facility where he had been held since September 2021. Reuters -
Proud Boys gather outside the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting at the George R Brown Convention Centre in Houston, Texas. AFP -
Proud Boys gather outside the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting in Houston after the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting. AFP -
The National Rifle Association convention took place right after the massacre of 19 children at a Texas primary school. The Proud Boys showed up to support the organisation. AFP
His attempts failed since Mr Pence wrote a letter to Congress before presiding over the joint House and Senate electoral vote certification, saying vice presidents do not have "unilateral authority" to overturn election counts.
"No vice president in American history has ever asserted such authority," he said.
Meanwhile, the pro-Trump mob threatened to hang Mr Pence for not following the former president's orders, with some members setting up a gallows.
Committee member Pete Aguilar said the mob came within 12 metres of Mr Pence, who sheltered in a secure location.
"Make no mistake about the fact that the vice president's life was in danger," Mr Aguilar said.
A Proud Boys informant told federal authorities that they were ready to kill Mr Pence or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if they had a chance that day.
Mr Trump's team brought forward dozens of legal challenges in several US states in November and December, all of which failed and compelled the former president to depend on Mr Pence to overturn the results.
Greg Jacob, who was Mr Pence’s chief counsel, testified about how he had consulted with the former vice president on certifying the election results on January 6.
“There is no justifiable basis to conclude that the vice president has that kind of authority,” he told committee members.
Recorded depositions aired by the committee showed Mr Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani also did not believe Mr Pence had the authority to do what he asked.
During the hearing, committee member Liz Cheney also detailed “war-gaming several scenarios” and “fake electors” among Trump-supporting advisers and lawyers.
The committee's continuing public hearings are trying to show the American public that Mr Trump had a central role in the attack on the US Capitol.
Previous hearings covered his part in advancing debunked claims that the 2020 election was rigged, all while brushing off advisers who fought those claims.
Mr Trump issued a statement attacking the "one-sided" and "slanderous" committee, and demanded "equal time" to "spell out the massive voter fraud" of 2020.
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On January 6, 2021, Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington. AFP -
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have already spoken to January 6 investigators. Whether they will appear in primetime is yet to be determined. Reuters -
Rudy Giuliani, lawyer for former president Donald Trump, gives a press conference in the car park of the Four Seasons landscaping company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after Joe Biden was declared as winner of the 2020 presidential election, which he claimed was false. As a result of these claims, Mr Giuliani can no longer practice law in the state of New York. EPA -
Donald Trump meets Clint Hickman, vice chairman of Arizona's 4th District, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, at Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, Mr Hickman said that he refused to take calls from the White House and Mr Trump, who he said was trying to overturn the battleground state's results. AP -
Four days before the Capitol riot, Donald Trump placed a call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and asked the official to 'find' 11,780 votes to prevent the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the battleground state. The House committee investigators have already interviewed election officials in the state. AP -
Ruby Freeman was an employee of the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections in Atlanta, Georgia, during the 2020 presidential election. After the state went to Joe Biden, Donald Trump accused Ms Freeman of stealing ballots in a call with Brad Raffensperger, who told Mr Trump that he was being misled by claims on social media. Reuters -
Kimberly Guilfoyle, engaged to Donald Trump's son, boasted to a Republican operative that she had raised $3 million for the rally that helped fuel the January 6 Capitol riot. She may be called to testify. AFP -
Kash Patel, chief of staff to former acting secretary of defence Christopher Miller, gave a deposition on Capitol Hill to the committee on December 9, 2021. Members of the committee and staff members had been meeting with Mr Patel and 'Stop the Steal' organiser Ali Alexander. Getty Images / AFP -
The Willard Hotel in Washington played home to a 'war room' set up by advisers of Donald Trump and has become the focus of the congressional investigation into the January 6 attack. AFP -
Former White House chief strategist in the Trump administration Steven Bannon leaves a federal courthouse in Washington after being indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress. EPA -
Roger Stone, a former adviser and confidant of Donald Trump, gave a deposition before the committee in which he repeatedly pled the Fifth Amendment when questioned. Getty Images / AFP -
Bennie Thompson was chosen by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to lead the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack on the US Capitol. Getty Images / AFP -
Bennie Thompson meets Liz Cheney, vice-chair of the select committee, Adam Kinzinger and Jamie Raskin on Capitol Hill. The committee voted unanimously to recommend contempt of Congress charges for former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark for defying his subpoena, refusing to answer questions and failing to hand over documents to the committee. Getty Images / AFP -
Liz Cheney, committee chairman Bennie Thompson and other members of the committee speak to reporters after meeting with Nancy Pelosi. Reuters -
Republican Scott Perry of Pennsylvania helped promote theories that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, resulting in millions of tax dollars spent on recounts in the state. Election workers there were also threatened with violence. Reuters -
Lawyer John Eastman spoke with Donald Trump's personal legal representative Rudy Giuliani at the January 6 'Stop the Steal' rally in Washington. During the melee, Mr Eastman emailed Greg Jacobs, aid to vice president at the time Mike Pence, to say that it was Mr Pence's fault that the riot was taking place because he refused to block the election's certification results. Reuters -
Before Mike Pence could certify the Electoral College votes before Congress, the last step in the process before Joe Biden was to be sworn in, rioters breached the US Capitol. Outside the chamber doors, a person was shot and police officers were beaten and trampled as some rioters yelled: 'Hang Mike Pence!' EPA -
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said he has no intention of complying with a subpoena to appear before the committee and missed a scheduled deposition. Committee members voted unanimously to pursue criminal contempt charges against Mr Meadows for refusing to give evidence. AFP -
In a legal setback, a federal appeals court ruled against Donald Trump, demanding he turn over White House records to the committee. AP -
Fox News host Sean Hannity sent text messages to the White House during the January 6 insurrection. AP -
The Oath Keepers is a US militia group that recruits former members of the military and law enforcement, with many participating in the January 6 attack. The committee has sent a subpoena to its founder, Stewart Rhoades, and several members have been arrested. AP -
The select committee subpoenaed Enrique Tarrio, naming him as leader of the Proud Boys, an extremist group that responded to Donald Trump’s call to descend on Washington and which played a central role in the attack on the Capitol. EPA -
US Olympic swimmer Klete Keller can be seen, with arms extended and wearing a blue kerchief covering his face, during the attack on the US Capitol. He pled guilty to one count of obstructing an official proceeding and is co-operating with the committee. AFP -
House select committee member Liz Cheney told CNN that a witness said Donald Trump's daughter and former White House adviser, Ivanka Trump, pleaded with her father to put a stop to the violence that took place on January 6. Getty Images / AFP -
On January 9, 2021, Twitter banned Donald Trump after he tweeted his support for the rioters. Reuters -
'Stop the Steal' organiser Ali Alexander gave a deposition on Capitol Hill to the committee. Getty Images / AFP -
Stephanie Grisham, former White House Press Secretary under former US president Donald Trump, leaves the O'Neill House office building following a meeting with the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. Reuters -
John Eastman, a lawyer for former president Donald Trump, possibly broke legal and ethical rules relating to the 2020 election. AP -
Jim Jordan, a Republican congressman, admitted to speaking with Donald Trump on January 6 but refuses to speak with the committee. Reuters
