The House special committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol is expected to reveal new information about the extent former President Donald Trump knew about the plans for violence that day, in what’s expected to potentially be their last hearing on Thursday.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, California Democrat who sits on the committee, said viewers can expect an examination of the ties between Mr. Trump’s allies and right-wing extremist groups, as well as the revelation of new material the panel has gathered throughout the summer.
“I do think that it will be worth watching,” Ms. Lofgren told CNN. “There’s some new material that I found as we got into it, pretty surprising.”
The congresswoman said the hearings will look at what Mr. Trump knew about the riot, his response, and what others did in response to the event.
The committee is also expected to show newly obtained Secret Service records indicating Mr. Trump’s awareness of the event and warnings he received about violence occurring at the Capitol, according to a report by The Washington Post.
Thursday’s hearing is also expected to unveil new video footage and internal Secret Service emails designed to corroborate previous testimony given by former Trump White House aides about what the president knew and did during the attack by supporters seeking to block certification of the 2020 presidential election.
SEE ALSO: McConnell on remaining GOP Senate leader despite Trump attacks: ‘I have the votes’
Cassidy Hutchinson, an ex-aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, told the committee in June that Mr. Trump was briefed that his supporters were armed ahead of his “Stop the Steal” rally near the Ellipse just before the attack began.
The hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, being delayed from a previous date from last month. The committee cited complications over Hurricane Ian in Florida for the scheduling change.
The hearing follows the release of new audio tapes this week that show House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy saying he didn’t think Mr. Trump knew violence was occurring during the riot.
“I’m just telling you, from my phone call, I don’t know that he did know that,” Mr. McCarthy told Gladys Sicknick, the mother of the late Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died of natural causes the day after the riot.
The audio came as part of a new book by former District of Columbia officer Michael Fanone titled “Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cop’s Battle for America’s Soul.”
Mr. Fanone testified in the committee’s first hearing, along with three other officers on duty the day of the riot.
The committee and its work remains a point of partisan contention on Capitol Hill, as Republicans have sought to delegitimize the panel as a partisan sham.
A report is expected at the end of the committee’s investigation.
Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi Democrat and chairman of the committee, said the report will be completed before the end of the 117th Congress in December.
• Mica Soellner can be reached at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.