June 8, 2022
After 11 months and more than 1,000 interviews, the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob is ready to share what it knows, reports The Washington Post.
It will do that in public hearings, some in prime time, throughout this month. The first will be held this week. Here’s what to know about the hearings.
- When are the hearings’ dates and times? The first hearing is scheduled for Thursday, June 9, at 8 p.m. (EDT). The committee hasn’t announced a formal schedule for the remainder of the hearings, but there could be as many as eight through June, with a final hearing in September—right before the November midterm elections.
- How to watch the hearings: The committee usually live-streams its hearings, and most major TV news stations will be airing at least Thursday’s inquiry in full: TheWrap reports that ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, and CNN plan to air the proceedings. Fox News is the only major news network to decide to continue with its regular, primetime coverage and talk about the hearings “as warranted.” The Washington Post will have anchored coverage and analysis beginning Thursday night on www.washingtonpost.com.
- What to watch for: The committee plans to detail itsr findings of what members say was a months-long Republican conspiracy to overthrow Joe Biden’s legitimate election victory, led by President Donald Trump. Indeed, the committee even could accuse Trump of committing a crime by intentionally trying to stop Congress’s certification of Biden’s win on January 6, 2021. But Congress’s power is limited; ultimately, the Justice Department would have to decide whether to prosecute.
Investigators have not gotten many close Trump allies or top Republican members of Congress to testify. Instead, members plan to call in staffers to some of the top players, such as aides to former vice president Mike Pence, or former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. And they plan to play videos of their previous interviews with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, report The Post’s Jacqueline Alemany, Josh Dawsey and Amy Gardner.
Each hearing will have a theme. On Thursday, lawmakers are planning to introduce the public to what they’ve been up to for the past 11 months since
Democrats in Congress voted to set up the investigatory committee. Only two Republicans, Representatives Liz Cheney (Wyoming) and Adam Kinzinger (Illinois) sit on it, and there are no Trump allies on the committee. They will make an opening statement that offers an overview of the January 6 events.
The New York Times reports that on Thursday, a documentarian who interviewed the Proud Boys and a Capitol police officer who was injured in the attack will provide testimony as some of the panel’s first public witnesses. This comes after the current and former leaders of the Proud Boys have been charged with seditious conspiracy, for allegedly planning the attack on the Capitol.
Other hearings could focus on what Trump did (or didn’t do) on January 6; how he and his allies tried to dismantle the electoral process in the weeks after Election Day in order to keep him in power; how disinformation spreads; and policy recommendations to prevent such an attack from happening again.
Research contact: @washingtonpost
