(The Hill) – White House logs that were given to the House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol have a gap of more than seven hours in former President Trump’s phone records on Jan. 6, 2021, documents obtained by The Washington Post and CBS News reportedly show.
The news outlets reported that the gap in Trump’s communications stretches from 11:17 a.m. to 6:54 p.m. on the day of the attack, contradicting reports on several phone calls Trump had during that time period.
Two unidentified sources told the Post that the committee is looking into whether Trump used his aides’ phones, a disposable phone or used backchannels to communicate with others on Jan. 6.
A spokesperson for Trump stated the records were not controlled by Trump and the former president believed all his communications were logged that day, according to the news outlets.
“I have no idea what a burner phone is, to the best of my knowledge I have never even heard the term,” Trump reportedly said in a statement Monday, referring to a disposable phone.
However, one unidentified lawmaker on the Jan. 6 panel told the Post the White House could have engaged in a “possible coverup” of the records, with another source saying the gap is of “intense interest” to several lawmakers.
The phone records were given to the committee by the National Archives earlier this year.
Phone conversations that reportedly occurred with Trump during the gap of seven hours and 37 minutes gap include conversations with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who Trump called in order to get in touch with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), the Post noted.
The Hill has reached out to the Jan. 6 House Committee and a Trump spokesperson for comment.