A special committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol issued “a sweeping demand” for records from the executive branch, the panel chairman announced Wednesday.
Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, said the committee is expanding the investigation and wants to focus on the events leading up to the attack as well as how the event fits into what Democrats believe was an effort to overturn the 2020 election.
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Thompson sent letters to the National Archives and Records Administration as well as seven other agencies, including the Defense and Justice Departments as well as the FBI and others, seeking information related to the “runup” to the Jan. 6 riot.
Thompson wants the agencies to provide records related to “the gathering and dissemination of intelligence work in advance of the attack, security preparations around the U.S. Capitol, the role agencies played in defense of the Capitol on Jan. 6, and how the January 6th events fit in the continuum of efforts to subvert the rule of law, overturn the results of the November 3, 2020 election, or otherwise impede the peaceful transfer of power.”
Democrats are determined to investigate the role then-President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers played in stirring up the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
The panel has not yet issued subpoenas for any of the information. Thompson said this week he will first make requests in writing.
Thompson told reporters this week he won’t stop with the executive branch and plans to request records from Congressional lawmakers, although he did not indicate who he would target.
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Some Democrats have accused GOP lawmakers of both provoking the rioters and facilitating their access to the Capitol, which has not been proven.
Democrats are also eager to find out more about Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s conversation with Trump on Jan. 6. The California Republican held a tense call with the president, asking him to call off the protesters, according to a GOP lawmaker who documented the exchange.
The Jan. 6 panel has held one hearing, featuring law enforcement, and is planning another one, Thompson said.
