What new information will be revealed about the 6 January attack on the US Capitol?
The attempted insurrection has been the subject of an ongoing House select committee investigation, with public hearings to start later this week.
Last week it was announced that the House select committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol will hold a series of “exciting” public hearings. The first will take place at 8pm (ET) on Thursday, 9 June and will bring together the year-long work of the committee.
Follow the January 6 hearings and new details of the Capitol attack, latest news
Former GOP Rep. Denver Riggleman, who previously served on the committee, has confirmed that the hearings will be “very concise” and will be used to communicate their findings with the public.
“I think people are going to be absolutely surprised how much was known with multiple groups,” Riggleman said.
“And I think that’s what’s going to be exciting to see the committee — there’s some very intelligent, very talented investigators behind the doors,” he added.
There will be six public hearings, a combination of daytime and prime-time slots, but the full schedule has not yet been published.
What to expect from the 6 January public hearings
In the build up to the hotly-anticipated hearings, there has been a lot of expectancy about the prospect of some big names being cited in the findings. The panel has been working on the broad thesis that it was former President Trump’s unwillingness to accept defeat that sparked the violent riots, which left five people dead.
The degree to which Trump will be named in the hearings is unclear, but Rep. Liz Cheney, one of just two Republicans on the committee, has said that the attack is being viewed as part of an “extremely well-organized” conspiracy.
Rep. David Cicilline, a Democrat, has said that “disturbing” new evidence will be presented at the hearings. Cicilline told CNN:
“There will be, I think, substantial evidence that really demonstrates the coordination and the planning and the effort, despite the fact that they understood that Donald Trump lost the election and even once the insurrection began and the violence began, there were ongoing efforts to persuade the former President to stop the violence and call on folks to go home, and he refused to do it.”
Who might appear at the 6 January hearing?
The list of people expected to give evidence at the hearing has not been made public, but it is thought that at least two people with close ties to former Vice President Mike Pence have been invited.
Greg Jacob, who served as Pence’s chief counsel, and former federal Judge J. Michael Luttig have could give an insight into the decision-making process on the fateful day, when Pence reportedly implored Trump to call off the riots.
In the hope of avoiding any serious repercussions, Trump himself has reportedly contacted his most vehement supporters on Capitol Hill. The former President is eager to secure a public defence from like-minded lawmakers to push back on the select committees ongoing investigation as the hearing is broadcast.