U.S. Capitol Riot Poll Turns Focus To Trump Allies And Extremist Groups According to Reuters
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A video of former US President Donald Trump being cast as Cassidy Hutchinson, who served as an aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in the Trump administration, testifies during a public hearing by the Select Committee. choose the House of Representatives.
By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Congressional investigators on Tuesday’s attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 will seek to draw links between associates of President Donald Trump when there and right-wing fighters stormed the government seat.
Saturday’s five-week House committee hearing will focus on the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, two pro-Trump groups that investigators say helped plan the attack. , as well as QAnon, a right-wing conspiracy movement.
The hearing, which begins at 1 p.m. ET (1700 GMT), will explore the relationship between the two groups and Trump aides including Roger Stone and Mike Flynn, according to a committee aide who spoke with the panelists. reporter on condition of anonymity.
Oath-keepers provided security for Stone, a self-described “dirty trickster” who has advised Trump for decades, in Washington on January 5 and 6. Flynn, a retired Army general who served as Trump’s first national security adviser.
The committee’s seven Democrats and two Republicans used the hearings to build a case that Trump’s attempt to overturn his defeat in the November 2020 election was conduct. illegal, far beyond ordinary politics.
They have also questioned the role of some members of Congress in Trump’s Republican Party. In a call with reporters on Monday, committee aides said Tuesday’s hearing will explore the involvement of several lawmakers.
The attack on the Capitol, following a speech Trump gave at a rally outside the White House that day, delayed Joe Biden’s election certification for hours, leaving more than 140 police officers injured and resulted in several deaths.
In response to a request for comment, Stone said he is facing “condemnation by link tactics.”
In an email, he said, “Any assertion that I have prior knowledge of, are involved in, or condone any illegal action on the Capitol is untrue. Any claim that I know of from any member of the Proud Boys or the Oath Keepers of any plans for illegal activities on January 6th is also false.”
Flynn’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Neither Flynn nor Stone have been charged in connection with the attack on the Capitol, and both have invoked the Fifth Amendment’s constitutional right to resist self-incrimination before the January 6 committee.
Trump pardoned both after they were convicted or pleaded guilty in cases unrelated to the Capitol attack.
CRIMINAL CHARGES
Several members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers face criminal charges of conspiracy to seduce and are expected to go to trial later this year.
Two groups have gained national attention during Trump’s presidency. Trump drew national attention to the Proud Boys when he urged them to “stand back and stand” during the September 2020 debate as he campaigned against Biden.
About 800 people have been charged with taking part in the Capitol riots, with about 250 pleading guilty to date.
The questioning of witnesses during the hearing will be led by Democratic Representatives Stephanie Murphy and Jamie Raskin. Committee aides declined to name any witnesses Tuesday, citing security concerns.
The hearing is expected to feature video testimony from Pat Cipollone, a former Trump White House adviser who spoke to committee investigators behind closed doors on Friday.
The committee is scheduled to hold a second hearing on Thursday night, but aides said Tuesday’s hearing will be the only one this week. They said the committee will hold another hearing next week.
Trump, who has hinted he could find the White House again in 2024, denies wrongdoing and falsely asserts that he lost simply because of rampant fraud in favor of Biden.
Trump and his supporters – including many Republicans in Congress – dismiss the January 6 assembly as a political witch hunt, but its supporters say it is a political witch hunt. necessary exploration of a threat of violence against democracy.
