The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot could make multiple subpoenas to former President Donald Trump’s Justice Department for its role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), vice chair committee chairman, he said in an interview broadcast on Sunday. “The Justice Department doesn’t have to wait for the committee to indict,” Cheney said on ABC’s “This Week.” “And there could be more than one criminal citation.” Cheney stressed that the committee’s goals were not political, but that the Justice Department should not hold back from prosecuting Trump because of political concerns if the evidence warrants criminal prosecution. “I think it’s a much more serious constitutional threat if a president can engage in these kinds of activities and the majority of the president’s party looks the other way, or we as a country decide we’re not going to take our constitutional obligations seriously.” Cheney said. Cheney expressed serious concerns about the idea of Trump running for the GOP presidency a third time. “I think there’s no doubt, I mean, a man as dangerous as Donald Trump can never be anywhere near the Oval Office again,” Cheney said. The Republican Party, he said, could not survive if Trump were the 2024 presidential candidate. “Millions of people, millions of Republicans have been betrayed by Donald Trump. And that’s really painful for people to recognize and admit, but it’s absolutely true,” Cheney said. “And they have been betrayed by him, by the big lie and by what he continues to do and say to tear our country apart and tear our party apart.” The interview was Cheney’s first since the Jan. 6 committee began holding public hearings and was taped days after Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, gave bombshell testimony about the actions — and the inaction— by Trump on the day of the attack on Capitol Hill. Hutchinson testified last week that Trump knew some of his supporters were armed but encouraged them to march on Capitol Hill and that he was reportedly unconcerned by mob threats to hang Vice President Mike Pence. “What kind of person knows that a mob is armed and sends the mob to attack the Capitol and further incites that mob when his vice president is threatened? When Congress is under threat?’ Cheney said. “It’s very creepy.” Trump and his allies have since sought to discredit Hutchinson, but Cheney said she was “absolutely confident” in the former White House aide’s testimony. Hutchinson also testified last week that Trump was “furious” when he was told he couldn’t travel to Capitol Hill with supporters after his Ellipse speech, and that she was told Trump lashed out at his security detail while was inside. the presidential limousine. When asked if the committee had additional evidence to corroborate Hutchinson’s testimony, Cheney said the committee had “significant evidence on a whole range of issues, including the president’s intense anger” inside the presidential limousine. Cheney aptly suggested that anyone who disputed Hutchinson’s version of events also testify before the committee under oath. “What Cassidy Hutchinson did was an incredible example of bravery and courage and patriotism in the face of real pressure,” Cheney said. “The committee is not going to stand by and watch her character be assassinated by anonymous sources and by men claiming executive privilege.” Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified June 28 about President Donald Trump’s actions surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill. (Video: JM Rieger/The Washington Post, Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), the only other GOP member on the committee Jan. 6, told CNN’s “State of the Union” that more witnesses have come forward since the hearings began, even since the testimony of Hutchinson. “I don’t want to go into who, I don’t want to go into details,” Kinzinger said. “Every day we have new people come forward and say, “Hey, I didn’t think that maybe this piece of a story that I knew was important.” The Jan. 6 panel had already interviewed two people who were inside the presidential limousine at the time of Trump’s reported outburst: Robert Engel, Trump’s former Secret Service chief, and Anthony Ornato, who coordinated physical security at the White House. House. On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), a member of the Jan. 6 committee, said Ornato’s recollection “doesn’t appear to be as accurate” as Hutchinson’s, but hesitated when asked. if Ornato had given his testimony to the committee under oath. Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), another member of the Jan. 6 committee, said Sunday that he could not elaborate on what Engel and Ornato had previously shared with the committee, but that the committee members would be interested in having the two men return to “shed light” on what happened inside the presidential limousine. The committee, he added, was also “in discussions” with lawyers for Pat Cipollone, a former White House adviser whom the committee has interviewed in the past but would like to bring back for further testimony. Hutchinson testified last week that Cipollone had warned of legal risks for Trump if he went to Capitol Hill on Jan. 6. “But the most important thing is: There doesn’t seem to be any dispute that the president was furious that he couldn’t escort this armed mob into the Capitol,” Schiff said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “That doesn’t seem to be disputed by anyone except Donald Trump, who, as we’ve seen in the past, has absolutely no credibility whatsoever.” Schiff said he agreed with Cheney that there could be many criminal indictments of Trump at the Justice Department and that it would do much more damage to the country if Trump is not investigated because of concern about further political division. Schiff warned that if the Justice Department took the position that it could not investigate or indict a former president, it would make Trump above the law. “This is a very dangerous idea that the Founders would never have signed off on — even more dangerous, I think, in the case of Donald Trump,” Schiff said. “Donald Trump is someone who has shown, when he’s not held accountable, he continues to commit worse and worse abuses of power.” The Jan. 6 panel continues to investigate any connections between the Trump White House and far-right white nationalist groups involved in the Capitol attack, he said. “Our next hearing will focus on efforts to bring this mob together in [National] Mall: Who was involved, who funded it, how it was organized, including the involvement of these white nationalist groups like the Proud Boys and the Three Percenters and others,” Schiff said. “I think we’ve gotten some answers, but there’s still a lot we don’t know that we’re going to find out.” Nick Miroff contributed to this report.
The uprising of January 6
The House select committee investigating the 6 January 2021 riot is holding a series of high-profile hearings this month. Congressional Hearings: The House committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol has conducted more than 1,000 interviews over the past year. He is sharing his findings in a series of hearings beginning June 9. Here’s what we know about the hearings and how to watch them. The Riot: On January 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. Five people died that day or soon after, and 140 police officers were attacked. Inside the siege: During the rampage, rioters came perilously close to breaking into the building’s inner sanctums while lawmakers were still there, including former Vice President Mike Pence. The Washington Post reviewed text messages, photos and videos to create a video timeline of what happened on January 6. Tariff: Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four lieutenants have been charged with conspiracy to riot, while Oathkeepers leader Stewart Rhodes and about a dozen associates have been indicted for their involvement in the Capitol attack. They are just a few of the hundreds charged, many of whom received far lighter sentences than the government sought.
