With time running out, U.S. Capitol riot panel keeps focus on Trump
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[October 13, 2022]
By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON(Reuters) - The congressional
committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by
Donald Trump's supporters promised to present new evidence on Thursday
during what could be its last chance to convince Americans the former
president played a central role in the attempt to overturn his election
defeat.
There will be no live witness testimony at the panel's ninth public
hearing this year, but the U.S. House of Representatives Select
Committee plans to present video evidence from witnesses who have not
been seen at its prior hearings, and information from thousands of
documents obtained from the Secret Service.
"We're going to be looking at that entire plan, the entire multi-part
plan to overturn the election. We'll be looking at it in a broader
context, and in a broader timeline as well," a committee aide told
journalists, speaking on condition of anonymity to preview the hearing.
Scheduled at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT), the hearing follows eight others the
Democratic-led House committee held in June and July, as well as one in
July 2021.
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It could be the last before the panel releases its final report,
expected before the Nov. 8 midterm elections that will determine whether
President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats or Trump's Republicans control
Congress.
The panel's chairperson, Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson, and
vice chairperson, Republican Liz Cheney, will speak, as will its six
other Democrats and one additional Republican, the aide said.
The select committee has been investigating the attack on the Capitol
for more than a year, interviewing more than 1,000 witnesses. Its
investigation is continuing.
The hearings held this year may have convinced some Republicans that
Trump bears some responsibility for the riot. A Reuters/Ipsos poll
showed that in early June, about a third of Republicans said Trump was
at least partly responsible for the deadly attack. By late July, the
share of Republicans with that view had risen to two in five.
A two-day Reuters/Ipsos poll concluded on Wednesday showed two in five
Republicans still view Trump as at least partly responsible for the
mayhem.
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![](../images/101322PIX/news_m17.jpg)
Police clear the U.S. Capitol Building
with tear gas as supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather
outside, in Washington, U.S. January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Stephanie
Keith/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Oct/13/images/ads/current/friendshipmanor_sda_FOOTBALL_2022.png)
'THREATS TO OUR DEMOCRACY'
The committee has used the hearings to build a case that Trump's
efforts to overturn his November 2020 presidential election defeat
constitute illegal conduct, far beyond normal politics.
Previous hearings focused on Trump's inaction before and during the
riot, the former president's pressure on Vice President Mike Pence
to deny Biden's victory, militant groups whose members participated
in the attack and Trump's interactions with close advisers
questioning his false allegations of massive voter fraud.
The timeline for events to be discussed on Thursday will be extended
from before Election Day 2020 to after Jan. 6, 2021, the committee
aide said.
"There are ongoing threats to our democracy that persist to this
day," the aide said.
Committee members said Trump incited the riot by refusing to admit
he lost the election and through comments including a December tweet
calling on supporters to flock to Washington on Jan. 6, saying, "Be
there, will be wild."
The one-time reality television star denies wrongdoing, hinting he
will seek the White House again in 2024. He regularly holds rallies
where he continues to claim falsely that he lost because of
widespread fraud.
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.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Oct/13/images/ads/current/peasley_sda_FAIR_2022.png)
The attack on the Capitol injured more than 140 police officers and
led to several deaths. More than 880 people have been arrested in
connection with the riot, with more than 400 guilty pleas so far.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Jason
Lange; Editing by Scott Malone and Josie Kao)
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