“U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, some West Wing staffers panicked that they were possibly becoming participants in a coup to overthrow the government. ‘What do I do? Resign?’ one nervous White House staffer asked a friend on Wednesday afternoon, shortly after news broke that a woman had been shot and killed inside the Capitol. The West Wing staffer told the friend that White House Counsel Pat Cipollone was urging White House officials not to speak to Trump or enable his coup attempt in any way, so they could reduce the chance they could be prosecuted for treason under the Sedition Act. ‘They’re being told to stay away from Trump,’ the friend said. The White House declined to comment” reports Vanity Fair’s Gabe Sherman.

“Cipollone’s purported concern that Trump was committing treason – a federal crime – illustrates the chaos and fear of Wednesday’s unprecedented events. According to a Republican close to the White House, Trump refused to take calls on Wednesday from business leaders who wanted him to call off the insurrectionists. In recent days, as Trump’s bid to overturn the election became increasingly desperate, he expressed anarchist comments in private, a second Republican close to the White House told me. The Republican said Trump told people that he wanted David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler to lose the Georgia Senate runoff election as a way of punishing them and Mitch McConnell. ‘Trump told people he is really angry that the senators and McConnell hadn’t stood up for him to challenge the election. He’s happy they lost.’ According to the Republican, Trump has said he’ll be the most dominant force in Republican politics if there’s no party leadership.”