Topline
The January 6 Select Committee conducted its first primetime hearings on Thursday evening that included revelations about Capitol riots and former President Donald Trump’s “sophisticated” plans to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential elections—here’s what to watch for in the remaining seven hearings, as set out by vice-chair Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), starting next week:
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson Chair of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the … [+]
Timeline
The next hearing will focus on how Trump ignored court rulings, advice from his aides and other government officials that his “frivolous” claims about a stolen election were false, Cheney said, while the committee will also outline how the former president spent millions of dollars of campaign money to spread disinformation and run false ads that the election was stolen from him, which in turn provoked the January 6 riots.
This hearing will highlight Trump’s plan to replace the attorney general and leverage the Justice Department to spread his false claims about a stolen election, Cheney said, and will also reveal how Trump offered Jeff Clark—an environmental lawyer at the DOJ—the job of acting attorney general if he agreed to send out false letters to Georgia and five states claiming he had identified “significant concerns” that may have affected the election result.
Dates for the fourth and following hearings are yet to be announced but according to Cheney, it will focus on Trump’s “illegal and… unconstitutional” attempt to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence to block the counting of electoral votes in Congress on January 6.
The fifth hearing will unveil evidence of how the former president “corruptly pressured” state lawmakers and election officials to alter the results, including a call to authorities in Georgia during which he asked them to find 11,780 non-existent votes in his favor.
The subsequent two hearings will reveal details of how Trump on January 6 “summoned a violent mob and directed them” to march on the Capitol and then failed to take action to halt the violence, Cheney said.
The final hearing is expected to take place next month and will include detailed accounts from former White House staffers about the day of the attack and how Trump ignored repeated requests from his aides to call off the rioters.
Crucial Quote
“All Americans should keep in mind this fact: On the morning of January 6th, President Donald Trump’s intention was to remain president of the United States despite the lawful outcome of the 2020 election and in violation of his Constitutional obligation to relinquish power,” Cheney said in her opening address during Thursday’s hearings.
Key Background
Thursday’s hearings, which unusually took place during primetime television hours, highlighted the committee’s initial findings. It included testimony by documentary filmmaker Nick Quested—who was following the far-right extremist group Proud Boys—that members of the group started moving towards the Capitol before Trump finished his speech at a “Stop The Steal” rally in Washington on the day of the riots. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, revealed that Pence sought support from the National Guard in a phone call as Cheney noted Trump was hesitant to call in assistance from the Department of Defense. Cheney also said Trump responded to chants by his supporters to “hang Mike Pence” by saying that the former vice president “deserves it.” The chair of the committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), accused Trump of energizing extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers by asking his supporters to travel to D.C. on January 6 and tweeting, “Be there, will be wild!.” Capitol Police officer Caroline Edwards also testified before the committee and said the area looked like a “warzone,” adding she witnessed “hours of hand-to-hand combat” between police and rioters.
Further Reading
Jan. 6 Committee Hearing: Riot Defendants Say Trump ‘Asked’ Them To Storm Capitol (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/06/10/heres-whats-coming-up-in-the-next-jan-6-committee-hearings-and-when/