Bob Woodward, Watergate author, says that key Trump insiders met at the Willard Hotel on Jan. 6, 2017, just before the Capitol riot. This could have been a conspiracy against America’s government and could be subject to prosecution.

Woodward made the comment on MSNBC with Robert Costa, his coauthor. The pair discussed the extraordinary sequence of events that occurred during then-President Donald Trump’s election overturn attempt. 

Woodward stated, “It is calculated.” 

Interviewer Mike Brzezinski referred to it as a ‘calculated series of meetings’, which Woodard accepted.

“Yes.” And phone calls and agitation. Steve Bannon is undoubtedly the best agitator. We spoke to a Republican who was the former head of the Criminal Division in the Justice Department. He said that there is a lay-down case based on what we know. 

Journalist Bob Woodward described a Trump 'war room' that convened at the Willard Hotel the day before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, when Congress was to meet to count the electoral votes

Bob Woodward, a journalist, described a Trump “war room” that met at the Willard Hotel on the day before Jan. 6, Capitol Riot. This was when Congress was to count the electoral votes.

Journalist and author Bob Woodward described a 'calculated' meeting in the Willard Hotel, and cited a federal law against conspiring to defraud the government. Here former President Trump congratulates Steve Bannon while swearing in senior White House staff

Bob Woodward, journalist and author, described a ‘calculated meeting’ at the Willard Hotel. He cited a federal law against conspiring for defrauding the government. Here, ex-President Trump congratulates Steve Bannon and swears in senior White House staff. 

The pro-Trump faction convened at the storied Willard Hotel

The Willard Hotel is where the pro-Trump faction gathered.

It is 18 US Code Section 371. This sounds very technical. However, it is a law that states it is a crime for the government to defraud in any deceptive manner. That’s exactly what they did here.

The law’s section states that ‘If two or more people conspire to either commit any offense against America or to defraud the United States or any agency thereof in whatever manner or for any reason, and one or more of these persons does any act to achieve the object of the conspiracy’, each shall be subject to this title or imprisoned no more than five years or both.

Woodward stated that it was all planned in a specific way. 

Woodward was speaking about the war room’ meetings held in the stories hotel near to the White House, attended by Steve Bannon, former chief White House strategist, and other figures such as John Eastman. 

It all happened amid a public effort by Trump to get Vice President Mike Pence to not count votes from states where Trump was claiming fraudulent.  

'It’s not just a Willard war room happening in an isolated way across the street. The president is calling in. Trump is calling in,' said journalist Robert Costa

‘It’s not just a Willard war room happening in an isolated way across the street. The president is calling. Robert Costa, a journalist, stated that Trump is calling in.

Attorney John Eastman gestures as he speaks next to U.S. President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, as Trump supporters gather ahead of the president's speech to contest the certification by the U.S. Congress of the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election

As Trump supporters gather to protest the U.S. Congress’ certification of the results of the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, John Eastman gestures while he speaks next Rudy Giuliani’s personal attorney.

The meeting took place the day before Jan. 6th

The meeting was held the day before Jan. 6,

President Trump, who spoke at the 'Stop the Steal' rally, called into the war room, Woodward and Costa write

Trump spoke at the “Stop the Steal” rally. He called in the war room to meet Woodward and Costa.

Costa claimed he was ‘roaming around the area’ that night. ‘It’s not just a Willard war room happening in an isolated way across the street. The president is calling. Trump is calling in. He’s coordinating this effort to speak for Pence,’ he said. 

Rudy Giuliani, a former Trump lawyer, and Bernard Kerik, a former New York City Police Commissioner, participated.  

Woodward then returned to his Watergate past and named Nixon as a coconspirator.

A House select Jan.6th committee subpoenaed Bannon in order to give evidence. When Bannon refused to comply with a subpoena the House voted in contempt to hold him. The Justice Department now has to decide whether to bring him in. 

His lawyer claims he is submitting to Trump, who is asserting executive confidentiality over documents at National Archives and calling the House probe a witch-hunt. 

Another participant, former Trump advisor Boris Epshteyn, told the Washington Post: ‘I firmly believed then, as I believe now, that the vice president — as president of the Senate — had the constitutional power to send the issue back to the states for 10 days to investigate the widespread fraud and report back well in advance of Inauguration Day, January 20th. Our efforts were focused upon communicating that message.

Kerik said that his security company charged the Trump campaign $55,000 for hotel rooms for members of the legal team. 

Costa and Woodward describe the scene in their book, “Peril.”