On January 6, the chairman of the committee, Rep. Benny Thompson, stated that no one can “prohibit” testimony, including Donald Trump, Associated Press reports.
The Democratic congressman from Mississippi stated that if any witnesses objected, he was willing to use the subpoena power of the group “within the maximum scope of the law.”
He said the team has hired professionals to obtain large amounts of data and will continue to do so during the summer vacation. The group held a strategy meeting on Wednesday, and Thompson told his colleagues, “No matter what you plan to adjourn in August, you may have to re-evaluate it.”
For more reports from the Associated Press, please see below.
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Thompson said the committee hopes to “set the tone of the investigation” by listening to first responders, many of whom were brutally beaten by supporters of former President Donald Trump as they rushed through law enforcement and broke into the Capitol.The mob screamed at them and insulted them when the police broke in, and interrupted the president’s certification Joe BidenVictory. The team on January 6 held a preliminary strategy meeting this week,
“We need to listen to their feelings, we need to listen to what the people who broke into the Capitol say to them,” Thompson told the Associated Press in an interview with the Associated Press on Friday. “So we want to arrange the first hearing so that everyone knows that the committee is serious, and we also let those who protect the Capitol or clean the Capitol-we care about them.”
Thompson said that the select committee is looking at hearings in the week of July 19, which may be a dramatic curtain call for a new investigation.An increasing number of police responding to the attack, including members of the Capitol and the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, have lobbied Congress An independent investigation into the uprising was launched, but the proposal was Senate RepublicansOfficials put pressure on Republicans who played down the violence to listen to their stories. Last week, when the House of Representatives voted to form a select committee along a partisan line, several officials watched in the gallery.
Two Senate committees have investigated the attack and made security recommendations, but they did not examine the origin of the siege, leaving many unanswered questions.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Eight members have been appointed to the select committee, including seven Democratic Party And Republican Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has discretion over the other five appointments, but Pelosi must approve them.
McCarthy has not disclosed who he will appoint or whether Republicans will participate in the investigation, because many people in the party are still loyal to Trump and are trying to downplay the rebellion and deny the political motives behind it.
Thompson said that the group welcomes members of the Republican Party, but whether McCarthy chooses to participate or not, it will continue to move forward. According to the committee’s rules, the committee only needs eight members to reach a quorum. He said the lack of Republican involvement will not weaken what the committee is trying to do.
“As chairman, my duty is to keep the committee moving forward and make sure that any deviations that occur will basically not hinder the work of the committee. I plan to do this.”
Thompson said that the focus of the investigation will be why the system failed that day — why no more law enforcement officers were present, why the army was delayed for several hours because the police were quickly overwhelmed, and why important intelligence predicted the attack was missed.
The team is also expected to investigate links between some mobs and white supremacist groups.Thompson said evaluation FBI Director Christopher Ray believes that racially motivated violent extremism, especially white supremacy, is one of the greatest threats to U.S. security, coupled with rebellion, “tell me the importance of the committee’s work and what it can It’s just as important to achieve.”
Thompson said the committee is still deciding how much of its work will be done behind closed doors because some witnesses may not want to testify in public, and some information may be sensitive or confidential.
He said that as the committee begins its work, no conclusion will be made in terms of time or other aspects.
“We don’t have a timetable,” Thompson said. “The committee’s goal is to be as thorough as possible in the investigation, but also to be flexible to the point where we know things will change in the process.”
J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press
