Sunday, members of the House select committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, previewed the panel’s next public hearing, which will focus on how the violent mob got together and the role of extremist groups in the tragic uprising.
A Hearing Will Be Held on the Role of Extremist Groups in the Capitol Violence!
“During these hearings, we will connect the dots between these groups and those who attempted to overturn the election in government circles.
In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union,” California Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren stated of Tuesday’s hearing and another that has not yet been planned, “We do believe that this narrative is developing in a very serious and credible manner.”
The lawmaker stated that the hearings will focus on ties between the Trump administration and militia organizations such as the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.
She stated that, among others, Roger Stone, an ally of former President Donald Trump, and Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, could be two of these ties.
Former Oath Keepers spokesperson and self-described “propagandist” Jason Van Tatenhove are expected to speak on Tuesday, a source with knowledge of the hearing plans revealed to CNN on Sunday. Last Monday, Van Tatenhove informed the Colorado television station KDVR of his invitation.
Van Tatenhove stated to KDVR that he was never a member of the group, but rather a former “employee.” He claims to have insight into the organization’s inner workings despite not having worked there for very long.
Democratic Representatives will lead Tuesday’s hearing, which the committee announced on Sunday will now begin at 1 p.m. ET rather than 10 a.m. ET. CNN has learned about Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Stephanie Murphy of Florida.
A representative of the select committee declined to comment on Tuesday’s hearing plans.
Murphy told NBC on Sunday that the panel could provide proof that members of Congress urged extremist groups to travel to Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, repeating Trump’s December 2020 tweet that January 6 would be “crazy.”
She referred to that tweet as a “siren call” to these groups. Murphy stated that the fact that members of Congress invited extremists to Washington on the day of the uprising was quite public.
“Their efforts to magnify the President’s demand to use January 6 as the last stand in his bid to remain president were fairly public.”
Raskin told CBS on Sunday that Tuesday’s hearing will show the “essential relevance of a White House meeting that took place on December 18,” after which Trump wrote the tweet inviting his followers to travel to Washington, D.C., on January 6.
Raskin stated, “People will hear the story of that tweet and its explosive ramifications in Trump’s world and among domestic violent extremist groups — the most dangerous political extremists in the country at the time.”
A Violation of Duty
Murphy also mentioned that the panel on January 6 may include a video of Pat Cipollone’s interview with the committee last week as part of its Tuesday hearing.
“I expect that you will hear from Mr. Cipollone, as well as others who served in the White House,” she stated.
On Friday, Cipollone spoke with the committee for over eight hours. He did not respond to CNN’s questions while entering or leaving the room. His participation on January 6 was the product of months of negotiations between his attorneys and the panel regarding the topics that may be discussed.
In April, he had already met with the committee informally. The encounter between Cipollone and the panel occurred less than two weeks after former Trump White House assistant Cassidy Hutchinson appeared before the committee in a high-profile session last month.
Hutchinson detailed her time in the White House as a member of Trump’s inner circle in the days preceding the Capitol Hill riot, as well as her interactions with Cipollone.
According to two sources familiar with the panel’s inquiry, Cipollone was one of the few individuals who spent time with President Trump as he watched the Capitol riot unfold on television from a dining area off the Oval Office.
Other witnesses have told the committee that Cipollone and other senior Trump advisers, including Ivanka Trump and Dan Scavino, were with the President at various times throughout this period, and that Cipollone may throw light on Trump’s mental state during the violence.
Lofgren told Tapper that Cipollone “was able to offer information on almost all of the important problems we’re investigating, including the President’s — what I would call dereliction of duty on January 6.”