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The House committee examining the US Capitol attack by supporters of Donald Trump concludes its riveting public meetings today with a televised primetime finale deconstructing the former president’s actions on the day. “It’s pretty straightforward,” said Congresswoman Elaine Luria, a member of the panel of seven Democratic parties and two Republicans who voted to impeach Trump following the violent January 6, 2021 insurgency.
“He could do nothing actually to stop the riot,” said the Democratic lawmaker from Virginia, despite “his advisers constantly urging him to take action, to take more action.”
According to Luria, The committee will scrutinize Trump’s actions “minute by minute,” beginning with a fiery speech to his followers near the White House in which he claimed the November 2020 election had been stolen and ending when he eventually told the rioters they were “very special,” but it was time to go home.
According to Liz Cheney, the committee’s Republican vice chair, the panel will prove that “Donald Trump never picked up the phone in the day to order his administration to help.”
“Donald Trump refused to cooperate to stop it for several hours,” Cheney said.
The panel has subpoenaed numerous Trump advisers and aides in order to ascertain whether the former president or associates played a role in planning or encouraging his supporters’ bid to prevent Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory from being certified.
The committee’s eighth hearing, scheduled for two hours today in Washington, will begin at 8:00 p.m. (0000 GMT). It is expected to be the last one this summer, but the committee has not ruled out additional meetings.
The opening hearing of the committee was also held during primetime when television viewers are at their peak.
Two witnesses are expected to give live testimony at Thursday’s hearing: former deputy White House press secretary Sarah Matthews and National Security Council member Matthew Pottinger.
On January 6, both Matthews and Pottinger resigned as Trump supporters threatened the Capitol.
