Why the J6 committee isn't sharing evidence with the DOJ

The House Select Committee Investigating the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol is continuing to refuse to share evidence with the Department of Justice after Congress returned from its August recess.

"Recent moves by DOJ have raised questions about whether the select committee would simply hand over its mountain of materials to prosecutors to aid their investigation. But the panel’s lawmakers and aides insist they have no immediate plans to do so for three main reasons: avoiding any disruption to the upcoming Oath Keepers trial; neutralizing accusations from Trump allies that they’re conducting a law enforcement investigation in disguise; and protecting their work," Politico reported Thursday.

Although the select committee is now citing the upcoming Oath Keepers trial, it was reported in May that the DOJ had requested the transcripts. The following month, after still not receiving the transcripts, DOJ was reportedly blindsided by Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony.

Of course, the distance between the committee and DOJ has done nothing to neutralize GOP outrage over the investigations, suggesting the lack of cooperation is largely over the turf issue of "protecting their work."

“We’re not in competition with the Justice Department,” Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) claimed.

“We don’t want to interfere with anything that’s ongoing,” Thompson said. “We have information. We’ve just not engaged Justice at this point.”

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