U.S. Capitol riot probe turns focus to Trump allies and extremist groups

[July 12, 2022]  By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional investigators into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday will seek to draw connections between then-President Donald Trump's associates and right-wing militants who stormed the seat of government.

The House of Representatives committee's seventh hearing in five weeks will focus on the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, two pro-Trump groups that investigators say helped plan the attack, as well as QAnon, a right-wing conspiracy theory movement.

The hearing, starting at 1 p.m. ET (1700 GMT), will explore ties between the two groups and Trump aides including Roger Stone and Mike Flynn, according to a committee aide who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.

The Oath Keepers provided security to Stone, a self-described "dirty trickster" who has advised Trump off and on for decades, in Washington on Jan. 5 and 6. Flynn, a retired Army general, served as Trump's first national security adviser.

The committee's seven Democrats and two Republicans have used the hearings to build a case that Trump's efforts to overturn his defeat in the November 2020 election constitute illegal conduct, far beyond normal politics.

They also have questioned the role of some members of Congress in Trump's Republican Party. In a call with reporters on Monday, committee aides said Tuesday's hearing would explore the involvement of some lawmakers.
 

The attack on the Capitol, following a speech Trump gave at a rally outside the White House that day, delayed certification of Joe Biden's election for hours, injured more than 140 police officers and led to several deaths.

In response to a request for comment, Stone said he was facing the "tactic of guilt by association."

In an email, he said, "Any assertion that I knew in advance about, was involved in or condoned any of the illegal actions at the Capitol is false. Any claim that I knew from any member of the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers about any plan for illegal activities on January 6th is also false."

An attorney for Flynn did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Neither Flynn nor Stone has been charged in connection to the attack on the Capitol and both have invoked their Fifth Amendment constitutional right against self-incrimination before the Jan. 6 committee.

A video of former U.S. President Donald Trump is played as Cassidy Hutchinson, who was an aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows during the Trump administration, testifies during a House Select Committee public hearing that investigates the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol, at the Capitol, in Washington, U.S., June 28, 2022. Anna Moneymaker/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Trump pardoned both after they were convicted or pleaded guilty in cases unrelated to the Capitol attack.

CRIMINAL CHARGES

Several members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers face criminal charges of seditious conspiracy and are scheduled to go to trial later this year.

The two groups gained national attention during Trump's presidency. Trump drew national attention to the Proud Boys when he urged them to "stand back and stand by" during a September 2020 debate as he campaigned against Biden.

About 800 people have been charged with taking part in the Capitol riot, with about 250 guilty pleas so far.

Questioning of witnesses during the hearing will be led by Democratic Representatives Stephanie Murphy and Jamie Raskin. Committee aides declined to name any of Tuesday's witnesses, citing security concerns.

The hearing is expected to feature video testimony from Pat Cipollone, Trump's former White House counsel, who spoke to committee investigators behind closed doors on Friday.

The committee had been expected to hold a second hearing on Thursday evening, but aides said Tuesday's hearing would be the only one this week. The committee will hold another hearing next week, they said.

Trump, who has hinted he may seek the White House again in 2024, denies wrongdoing and has falsely asserted that he lost only because of widespread fraud that benefited Biden.

Trump and his supporters - including many Republicans in Congress - dismiss the Jan. 6 panel as a political witch hunt, but the panel's backers say it is a necessary probe into a violent threat against democracy.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Howard Goller)

[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.