Topline
The House January 6 Committee announced Thursday it will hold a public hearing next week after being rescheduled due to Hurricane Ian, in what may be the final hearing the committee will hold as it wraps up its work and prepares to issue a final report before dissolving at the end of the year.
Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), center, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), left, and Rep. Liz … [+]
Key Facts
The committee’s next hearing will take place at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time on October 13, the first since July, after previously being scheduled for September 28.
Committee members have not yet said whether the hearing will be the final one of the investigation: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said on Meet the Press on September 25 his “expectation is this will be the last investigative hearing,” but he “wouldn’t say definitively there’s not going to be another” one.
Lawmakers will release a final report detailing all of the investigation’s findings by the end of the year, as the committee must disband by December 31, when this congressional session expires.
The final report likely won’t come too soon before then, as the Associated Press notes the committee is obligated to shut down within 30 days of that report being issued, and lawmakers will likely want to “maximize their time” by not forcing themselves to dissolve too early.
What We Don’t Know
Exactly what to expect from the next committee hearing. NBC News reports the hearing is likely to include information on former Trump adviser Roger Stone’s activities leading up to January 6, and Thompson said the hearing “potentially” may include details around text messages sent between Secret Service agents on January 6, which were largely erased. The hearing could also include testimony from witnesses that have been interviewed since the committee’s last hearing, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao—wife of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)—and Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who testified to the committee last week after months of controversy around her efforts to help overturn the 2020 election.
What To Watch For
In addition to the House committee’s investigation, the Justice Department is also probing the January 6 attack and the efforts to overturn the 2020 election. That investigation has reportedly ramped up in recent months, with dozens of subpoenas issued, and Trump has reportedly gone to court in an effort to block some testimony from former White House officials under executive privilege. While the House investigation and the DOJ probe have been similar in scope, the House committee doesn’t have the power to bring charges or litigation against anyone itself if it uncovers evidence of a crime—though it can refer information to the DOJ—while the Justice Department’s investigation could result in indictments.
Key Background
The House January 6 Committee was first established in June 2021 in the aftermath of the January 6 attack on the Capitol building, and started its public hearings in June of this year after a year of gathering information and interviewing witnesses. The public hearings thus far have not shied away from suggesting wrongdoing from Trump and his allies, with Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) arguing during the first hearing that the ex-president “summoned the mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack.” Among the revelations in the committee hearings thus far are that Trump wanted to let armed protesters enter the January 6 rally; lunged at a Secret Service agent who refused to take him to the Capitol building and tried to take the wheel of the car; asked Justice Department officials to seize voting machines and was asked by Trump attorney John Eastman and several GOP lawmakers for pardons following the January 6 attack, among other key takeaways.
Further Reading
The Jan. 6 committee is moving into its final stage (NBC News)
What’s left as Jan. 6 panel sprints to year-end finish (Associated Press)
House Jan. 6 Panel Faces Key Decisions as It Wraps Up Work (New York Times)
Ginni Thomas Testifies To House Jan. 6 Committee (Forbes)
Wisconsin House Speaker Sues Jan. 6 Committee After Receiving Subpoena About Trump Call (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/10/06/house-jan-6-committee-announces-next-and-possibly-final-hearing-what-to-expect-as-investigation-wraps-up/