Jan. 6 investigators release new findings

[ad_1]

Thompson says a lot of the video hasn’t been seen by the public

Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) delivers opening remarks at the first hearing of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on July 27, 2021 at the Canon House Office Building in Washington, DC.

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

Select Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Said that “a lot” of the video and some of the witness testimony to be presented at the first hearing will be new.

“We’ll show some never before seen video that we have uncovered, and we’ll just tell the story,” Thompson told reporters by the House floor Thursday morning.

“We’ll have significant video of some people who’ve been charged, some people who have been convicted, some people who pled guilty,” Thompson said.

“A lot of the video will be [the] first ever video seen by the public, “he said.” Some of the testimony will be testimony to our knowledge that’s never been seen by the public. “

Asked whether Thursday’s hearing will include video testimony from Trump’s family members, Thompson replied, “It’s under consideration.”

He added that the hearing may be emotional especially for one witness, Capitol Police officer Caroline Edwards, “because it would be recalling what she actually encountered during January 6, and how the road to recovery has been difficult.”

Kevin Breuninger

FBI arrests GOP candidate on Capitol riot-related charges

A man, identified as Ryan Kelley in a sworn statement by an FBI agent, gestures as supporters of US President Donald Trump make their way past barriers at the US Capitol during a protest against the certification of the 2020 US presidential election results by the US Congress , in Washington, US, January 6, 2021.

Jim Urquhart | Reuters

Hours before the hearing, Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley was arrested by the FBI on misdemeanor charges related to his involvement in the Jan. 6 riot.

Kelley, 40, was arrested Thursday morning in his home town of Allendale, Mich., The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia confirmed.

Kelley faces charges of knowingly entering a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, disorderly conduct, engaging in physical violence against a person or property on restricted grounds and willfully injuring US property, according to the DOJ’s criminal complaint.

In a statement of facts, an FBI special agent said Kelley was part of a crowd of people outside the U.S. Capitol who were assaulting and pushing past law enforcement officers defending the building on Jan. 6, 2021.

Kelley has previously said he was in Washington on the day of the riot, but never entered the Capitol, multiple outlets have reported.

A message to Kelley’s campaign requesting comment was not immediately answered.

Kevin Breuninger

What will the hearing reveal?

An image of President Donald Trump appears on video screens before his speech to supporters from the Ellipse at the White House in Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, as the Congress prepares to certify the electoral college votes.

Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

The select committee promises that its first public hearing will include new material illustrating a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results and showing that former President Donald Trump “was at the center of that effort.”

That new information may come from witness testimony, as well as from video, audio or other documentary evidence. At least two witnesses are set to speak in person at Thursday’s hearing. The panel will also share testimony from prior witness interviews.

Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Is hoping to illustrate the significance of the riot in U.S. history, according to aides who briefed reporters ahead of the hearing. The committee will also preview what to expect over the next few weeks of hearings.

The aides stressed that all of the upcoming hearings represent only the initial findings of the committee, and that “the investigation is ongoing.”

They noted that the panel is required to issue a final report, which Thompson has indicated may arrive by the fall.

Kevin Breuninger

What is the format of the public hearing?

The select committee’s first public hearing is slated to begin at 8 pm ET. It will take place in a meeting room in Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill.

A committee aide told reporters to expect opening statements from the panel’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., And its vice chair, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

After that, the panel will show “substantive” multimedia presentations, as well as a portion of the hearing dedicated to live witness testimony, the aide said.

The panel tapped former ABC News executive James Goldston to help produce the proceedings, indicating to some that the goal of the hearings is to craft a clear, compelling narrative about the Capitol riot that draws in the public and lands with maximum impact.

Kevin Breuninger

Which witnesses will be speaking?

Supporters of US President Donald Trump clash with police officers in front of the US Capitol Building in Washington, US January 6, 2021.

Facebook Facebook logo Sign up for Facebook to connect with Stephanie Keith Reuters

The select committee has announced two witnesses who will speak in person at the hearing about their experiences on the day of the Capitol riot.

One of them is US Capitol Police officer Caroline Edwards, who was injured in the riot and suffered a traumatic brain injury. “She was the first law enforcement officer injured by the rioters as they were storming the Capitol grounds,” a committee aide told reporters in a preview of the first hearing.

The other live witness is Nick Quested, a British documentary filmmaker who took footage of the first moments of violence against police officers at the Capitol, the aide said. Quested had been following the far-right group the Proud Boys on the day of the riot.

The live witnesses will recount what they saw and heard from the rioters during the invasion itself, according to the aide.

The committee will also present previously unseen records and tape from prior witness interviews, including senior Trump administration officials, campaign aides and family members of the former Republican president.

“The witnesses will tell the story in large part,” the aide said. “I think you’ll find that the facts will speak for themselves as we lay them out.”

Kevin Breuninger

The scope of the Jan. 6 probes

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), vice-chair of the select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol, speaks during a business meeting on Capitol Hill on December 13, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images

The House select committee was formed last summer, after Senate Republicans blocked a vote that would have empowered a team of independent investigators to study the Capitol riot similar to the 9/11 Commission.

Since its work began, the select committee has conducted interviews with more than 1,000 people, an aide for the panel told reporters Wednesday.

The investigators have also obtained more than 140,000 documents, and they are still following up on nearly 500 substantive tips, the aide said.

The aide noted that “the investigation is ongoing,” and “everything remains on the table for what we may see down the road.” The committee is required to produce a final report and issue recommendations based on its findings.

Kevin Breuninger

[ad_2]