The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 will hold its next public hearing that will focus on the 187 minutes between former President Donald Trump's speech at the Ellipse and his video when he asked his supporters to leave the Capitol.
Select committee aides told the press that they'll focus on the inaction of the president's as the Capitol was under siege while police were being attacked and members of Congress were hiding from his armed supporters.
The committee aides explained that the key detail is that Trump knew that his supporters were armed when he pointed them to the Capitol.
Testimony will focus on what his aides, family, allies and other political leaders were begging him to do and that he refused to act.
Around 4 p.m., the officers at the Capitol were finally able to handle the crowds as more arrived to help and the National Guard was on the way.
"The president had the power to call off the mob and he chose not to," the select-committee staff noted.
In previous statements, the House Select Committee has expressed a willingness for the former president to attend the hearing and testify under oath, but they have not issued a subpoena to him from Congress.
The staff also noted that they will confirm the claim by Cassidy Hutchinson that Trump did not want to return to the White House after the speech. Hutchinson testified that Trump was demanding to go to the Capitol with his people and that White House Counsel Pat Cipollone told her she should do whatever she can to ensure he didn't.
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Hutchinson also testified that there was an incident in the SUV in which Trump tried to grab the steering wheel and grabbed the secret service agent driving around the neck. Secret Service agents have disputed the claim by Hutchinson and Trump has said that she lives in a "fantasy land."
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) will do his chairmanship from a remote location due to a positive COVID-19 test. They noted that he feels good and is vaccinated and boosted.
The House Select Committee aides also explained that they intend to show Thursday some of the communications between Trump and lawmakers who were in the Capitol on Jan. 6. and who else Trump was communicating with during the 187 minutes. Previously, the White House diary of the president showed no communications with the president for seven hours, including during the attack.
The hearing will begin at 8 p.m. EST and is expected to run a little under two hours. Committee aides noted that the hearing Thursday is more of a season finale, not a series finale and that it would continue to investigate the attacks on Congress, including the recent information provided by the Secret Service on their retention of government documents.
