United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack

select committee of the United States House of Representatives

The U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol is a select committee of the U.S. House of Representatives to investigate the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.[1] The attack, inspired by President Donald Trump's false claim of a stolen election, was an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results, in which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Creation

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The committee was formed through a party-line vote on July 1, 2021 with Democrats supporting it and a majority of Republicans going against it. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger were the only two House Republicans to be on the committee, and the Republican National Committee eventually censured them for their participation.[2]

Investigations

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The investigation started with public hearings on July 27, when four police officers testified. By March 2022, the committee had interviewed nearly 700 people. Steve Bannon, Mark Meadows, Peter Navarro, and Dan Scavino have been held in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to testify; Bannon was indicted by a federal grand jury.[3] Other members of Trump's inner circle are working with the committee.[4]

Purpose

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The committee has argued that Trump knew he did not win the election and was committing fraud, and it may recommend that the U.S. Department of Justice open a criminal investigation into Trump's responsibility for the attack on the Capitol.[5][6] However, the Justice Department already has its own inquiries and investigations, the committee may instead focus on creating its final report.

References

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  1. "Committees". House.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  2. Orr, Gabby (February 4, 2022). "RNC approves censure of Cheney, Kinzinger for involvement in January 6 committee". CNN. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  3. Alemany, Jacqueline; Sonmez, Felicia; Zapotosky, Matt; Dawsey, Josh (6 April 2022). "House votes to hold ex-Trump aides Navarro, Scavino in contempt of Congress". Washington Post. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  4. Blake, Aaron (January 24, 2022). "Some Trump allies are cooperating with the Jan. 6 committee. Here's what we know". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  5. Broadwater, Luke; Feuer, Alan (2022-03-04). "Panel Suggests Trump Knew He Lost the Election, Eyeing Criminal Case". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  6. Hamburger, Tom; Alemany, Jacqueline; Dawsey, Josh; Zapotosky, Matt (December 23, 2021). "Thompson says Jan. 6 committee focused on Trump's hours of silence during attack, weighing criminal referrals". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 24, 2021.