THE TIGHTENING NOOSE:

"A sitting president asking for civil war," Parscale said in texts to Katrina Pierson, a former Trump campaign official who was reportedly involved in organizing Trump's pre-riot rally.

Screenshots of the texts were displayed during the select committee's latest public hearing Tuesday afternoon, which focused largely on the involvement of domestic violent extremist groups in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

"This week I feel guilty for helping him win," Parscale wrote.

Pierson replied: "You did what you felt was right at the time and therefore it was right."

Parscale responded, "Yeah. But a woman is dead," adding with apparent shock, "Yeah. If I was trump and knew my rhetoric killed someone."

Pierson told him, "It wasn't the rhetoric."

But Parscale shot back: "Katrina. Yes it was."

Former President Donald Trump called a witness to the House Jan. 6 Select Committee, the committee's top Republican said Tuesday--a potentially illegal act that the committee has shared with the Justice Department. 

Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney casually dropped the possible bombshell as the committee wrapped up its hearing.

"After our last hearing, President Trump tried to call a witness in one of our investigations. A witness you have not seen in these hearings. That person declined to answer or respond to President Trump's call and instead alerted their lawyer to the call," Cheney said.

Former Oath Keepers spokesperson Jason Van Tatenhove warned during Tuesday's Jan. 6 hearing that the violence of that day "could have been the spark that started a civil war."

"I think the vice president did the right thing. I think he did the courageous thing. I have a great deal of respect for Vice President Pence. ... I think he did a great service for this country and I suggested to somebody that he should be given the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his actions."

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