Jan. 6 chair confirms they intend to address Republican lawmakers' involvement in the Capitol riot
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) spoke to reporters Thursday confirming that the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on Congress has spoken with several upper-level officials from Donald Trump's administration.
It was reported Thursday that former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin testified to the committee, and Thompson also confirmed that Mick Mulvaney spoke with them as well because of his background in the operations of the Trump White House.
"He has expressed his opinion on a lot of matters," said Thompson.
Thompson also told reporters that it wasn't until he read the news that the grand jury had asked questions about Trump that he learned of the steps the Justice Department had made in the probe. He's not surprised to see that DOJ go after what the committee has outlined, however.
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"I think we made a significant case but there is some problems there and if that is the direction that the Department of Justice has taken then, we are a nation of laws and they are the prosecutorial body to look at it," he told reporters.
Thompson said that the Justice Department doesn't have anything that the Jan. 6 committee doesn't already have access to and that the DOJ will have to tell them what they want as far as the information Congress has already gathered.
He told Politico earlier on Thursday that the committee has been working with the DOJ and put together an agreement on sharing information.
An "agreement on evidence-sharing would mark a significant milestone as the DOJ inquiry into efforts by Donald Trump and others to overturn the 2020 election enters a more public-facing phase," the report said. "Federal investigators have sought to access the congressional committee’s 1,000-plus witness interview transcripts since April, but the select panel has resisted as its probe continued to generate extraordinary new evidence and witness testimony."
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Meanwhile, the committee hasn't discussed the Republicans who were involved on Jan. 6 but Thompson said it will be a part of their work as they begin their next round of investigations.
"We're a nation of laws," he said. "If they have information I think it's something we could use in our investigation then we'll continue to pursue it.
The members are expected to continue working through the August Recess and will announce whether they will hold additional public hearings in September.
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