The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol is scheduled to hold its next — and possibly final — hearing on Thursday, more than two months since the last session aired.
Here’s a quick guide to what to watch for; what’s happened so far; and what’s coming next as the committee aims to show that former President Donald Trump inspired a riot by his supporters. Trump has said he did nothing wrong.
When is the hearing and where will it air?
Committee members are scheduled to open their latest session at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday. The hearing will be broadcast on C-SPAN, the committee’s YouTube channel and other outlets including CBS News.
What’s the subject matter?
Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, has promised “significant information that we’ve not shown to the public.” The committee didn’t specify a topic in its public announcement, but Thompson, reported the Associated Press, has told reporters the hearing will touch on revelations about Trump’s chief fundraising vehicle, Save America PAC.
Thompson has also said he expects the hearing to be the first without live witnesses. However, it is expected to include previously unseen footage of witnesses deposed by the committee since late July — possibly including Virginia Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
See: Ginni Thomas reiterates false election claims, Jan. 6 panel chairman says.
The hearing is expected to highlight newly obtained Secret Service records showing how Trump was alerted to the violence brewing that day — and still sought to stoke the conflict, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.
What has happened up until now?
Over a series of hearings, as MarketWatch has reported, committee members and staff have presented evidence that Trump and his supporters were well aware that the ex-president had lost the 2020 election, but pushed false election-fraud claims anyway, and in doing so helped incite the riot at the Capitol complex while Congress was meeting to certify Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
Now read: Jan. 6 committee recap: What the first 8 public hearings revealed about the Capitol attack so far
What will come after this hearing?
The panel is aiming to release a written report and legislative recommendations before the end of the year, but Thompson has said the committee could release an interim report before the Nov. 8 midterm elections.
Republicans are expected to dissolve the committee if they win the House in the November midterm elections. Polls currently point to a GOP takeover of the House.
