U.S. Congress's hearings on Capitol riot could come by March-Raskin

[January 26, 2022]    (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives committee probing the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol could hold public hearings with witnesses by late February or March, one the committee's members told MSNBC on Tuesday.

U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) speaks during a candlelight vigil on the National Mall in observance of the first anniversary of the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 6, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

The committee is trying to establish then-President Donald Trump's actions while thousands of his supporters attacked police, vandalized the Capitol and sent members of the U.S. Congress and then-Vice President Mike Pence running for their lives.

"I know that the members are very hopeful that it happens by the end of February or March," Representative Jamie Raskin told MSNBC, adding that "the more foot-dragging" there was by those around Trump the more difficult it would be to start the process.

But he cautioned that he was just one member of the nine-person committee and did not have final say. Its chairman, Representative Bennie Thompson, has previously said the committee aims for hearings by spring.

The committee's members are racing to finish their work before the Nov. 8 midterm congressional elections, when Republicans are favored to win back a majority in the House and could shut down the committee.

The committee has spoken to about 400 witnesses and has issued dozens of subpoenas to compel testimony.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas in Los Angeles; Editing by Scott Malone and Sandra Maler)

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