Capitol riot committee takes aim at ex-Trump officials with 'incredibly expansive' demand for records

The House Select Committee tasked with investigating the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 is requesting a massive trove of documents from various government agencies.

CNN reported that the demand for records indicates that the committee plans "to undertake a sprawling probe of security failures and attempts to overturn the 2020 election results."

In a press release from this Wednesday, the Committee announced that the move was a follow-up to the July 27 hearing at which four police officers testified about their experiences trying to hold back the mob of Trump supporters who were trying to breach the Capitol building that day.

"The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol is examining the facts, circumstances, and causes of the January 6th attack. Our Constitution provides for a peaceful transfer of power, and this investigation seeks to evaluate threats to that process, identify lessons learned and recommend laws, policies, procedures, rules, or regulations necessary to protect our republic in the future," wrote Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS).

Among the matters the Committee is seeking clarity on are "the gathering and dissemination of intelligence in advance of the attack; security preparations around the U.S. Capitol; the role agencies played in the defense of the Capitol on January 6th, the planning and organization of events in Washington, DC, on January 5th and 6th; and how the January 6th events fit in the continuum of efforts to subvert the rule of law, overturn the results of the November 3, 2020 election, or otherwise impede the peaceful transfer of power."