Jan. 6 committee has interviewed 250 people so far

By Mary Clare Jalonick | Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Capitol insurrection has interviewed astir 250 radical truthful far, its president said Thursday, a staggering gait implicit conscionable 5 months arsenic lawmakers enactment to compile the astir broad relationship yet of the convulsive onslaught and program to clasp nationalist hearings adjacent year.

Members and unit person conducted the interviews successful private, and astir witnesses person appeared voluntarily. The committee has subpoenaed much than 40 people, and lawmakers accidental that lone 2 person defied outright their demands, truthful far. The probe began successful precocious July.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said successful an interrogation that the committee has deposed a wide scope of people, from members of erstwhile President Donald Trump’s medication and White House to predetermination officials successful important plaything states specified arsenic Georgia, Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania who were pressured by the erstwhile president and his allies arsenic helium pushed mendacious claims of predetermination fraud.

Looking up to adjacent year, Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the vice chairwoman, said the committee anticipates it volition clasp “multiple weeks of nationalist hearings, mounting retired for the American radical successful vivid colour precisely what happened each infinitesimal of the time connected January 6th, present astatine the Capitol and astatine the White House, and what led to that convulsive attack.”

Lawmakers are moving to decorativeness earlier the 2022 elections, viewing their enactment arsenic a important corrective to the increasing inclination among Republicans and others to play down the siege by Trump’s supporters. The convulsive mob echoed Trump’s mendacious claims that helium won the election, beating constabulary arsenic they broke successful and sending lawmakers moving for their lives erstwhile they interrupted the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.

The 7 Democrats and 2 Republicans connected the committee reason that nary little than ideology is astatine involvement arsenic Trump considers a 2nd tally for bureau and arsenic galore Americans inactive judge his mendacious claims of wide fraud successful the election, adjacent though they person been rejected by courts and predetermination officials crossed the country.

“History is watching,” Cheney told her chap lawmakers astatine a proceeding Tuesday arsenic she discussed the committee’s plans.

California Rep. Adam Schiff, different subordinate of the panel, said that “exposing each the malefactors and bloodshed that went connected present is truly important,” particularly arsenic immoderate radical inactive judge Trump’s baseless claims.

The hearings, Schiff said, volition “tell the full communicative of information astatine the Capitol, the quality starring up to the attacks — oregon deficiency of quality — the relation of societal media, the erstwhile president’s role, the relation of those astir him and archer it successful a communicative manner truthful the nationalist follows precisely what’s going on.”

Thompson and Cheney disclosed the fig of backstage interviews and the program for hearings adjacent twelvemonth astatine a House proceeding connected contempt charges against Jeffrey Clark, a erstwhile Department of Justice authoritative who championed Trump’s efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 election.

The Jan. 6 committee voted to urge charges against Clark connected Wednesday but has scheduled a 2nd deposition with Clark for Saturday. The lawmakers accidental they volition find afterward whether to determination up with the contempt charges.

The lawmakers presented their lawsuit connected Clark successful anticipation of a level ballot connected contempt if helium does not reply questions Saturday. Clark appeared for a deposition past period but refused to beryllium interviewed, citing Trump’s ineligible efforts to artifact the committee’s investigation.

Clark’s lawyer present says helium wants to invoke his Fifth Amendment close against self-incrimination. Thompson said the lawyer had offered “no circumstantial ground for that assertion.” Thompson said helium viewed it arsenic a “last-ditch effort to hold the Select Committee’s proceedings” but said members would perceive him out. The committee wants Clark to plead the Fifth Amendment connected a question-by-question basis, dissimilar his archetypal deposition erstwhile helium and his lawyer abruptly left.

If the committee decides aft the deposition that Clark is inactive successful defiance of the subpoena, the House could ballot connected contempt charges arsenic soon arsenic adjacent week. The Justice Department would past determine whether to prosecute.

The section has made wide it is consenting to prosecute the committee’s contempt charges, indicting longtime Trump state Steve Bannon past period connected 2 counts of transgression contempt.

According to an October study by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which interviewed respective of Clark’s colleagues, Trump’s unit connected the Justice Department culminated successful a melodramatic White House gathering astatine which the president ruminated astir elevating Clark to lawyer general. Trump did not bash truthful aft respective aides threatened to resign.

The Senate study said Clark personally met with Trump and unsuccessfully pushed his then-supervisors, acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and his deputy, Richard Donoghue, to publically denote that the section was investigating predetermination fraud and nonstop definite authorities legislatures to name caller electors. Rosen and Donoghue person besides been interviewed by the Jan. 6 committee.

Trump, who told his supporters to “fight similar hell” connected the greeting of the riot, has sued to artifact the committee’s enactment and has attempted to asseverate enforcement privilege implicit documents and interviews, arguing that his backstage conversations and actions astatine the clip should beryllium shielded from nationalist view.

In a transcript released this week of Clark’s aborted Nov. 5 interview, committee members and unit tried to transportation Clark to reply questions. But Clark’s lawyer, Harry MacDougald, said during the interrogation that Clark was protected not lone by Trump’s assertions of enforcement privilege but besides by respective different privileges MacDougald claimed Clark should beryllium afforded.

The committee rejected those arguments, and MacDougald and Clark walked retired of the interrogation aft astir 90 minutes of discussions.

Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, who sits connected the committee, said the sheet volition measure whether Clark’s answers connected Saturday conscionable their standards of compliance.

“If helium thinks that he’s conscionable going to beryllium capable to question a magic wand with the Fifth Amendment the mode helium tried to question a magic wand earlier with enforcement privilege, it’s not going to work,” Raskin said.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.