[ad_1]
Congressman Bennie Thompson, chairman of the new House Special Committee to Examine the Capitol Attack, said he would investigate Donald Trump as part of his probe into the events of January 6 – a day that ‘he considers the biggest test for the United States since the Civil War.
In an interview with the Guardian, Thompson said he was also prepared to remove members of Congress and senior Trump administration officials who may have been involved in the insurgency that left five dead and nearly 140 injured.
“Absolutely,” Thompson said of his intention to conduct a broad investigation against the former president and some of his most prominent allies on Capitol Hill. “Nothing is forbidden. “
The aggressive move to put Trump in the sights of the select committee underscores Thompson’s determination to uncover the January 6 root causes, even after Republicans in the Senate, fearing political damage, blocked the creation of a commission of type September 11.
The move comes as many Republicans seek to downplay the attack on Capitol Hill – in which five people died – or, in Trump’s case himself, present his protagonists in a more positive light.
But there is no doubt in Thompson’s mind about the seriousness of the event. Addressing some of the key issues at the heart of the select committee’s investigation into the attack, Thompson called the investigation a commitment to safeguard the peaceful transition of power and the future of American democracy.
“The problems of January 6 are one of the most important challenges we have as a nation, to ensure that this democracy does not fall prey to people who do not really identify with democracy,” said Thompson.
The central focus of the investigation will focus on the facts and circumstances surrounding the Capitol attack, Thompson said, and the first hearing scheduled for July 27 will feature current and former U.S. Capitol police officers. and police officers from DC Metro.
But pursuing a broad mandate to also examine the root causes of the insurgency, Thompson reiterated that he remained ready to issue subpoenas to compel a range of Trump officials linked to the attack to testify if they refused. to appear voluntarily.
Trump and McCarthy among the main witnesses
Thompson said Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy are among the main witnesses to his investigation, in large part because McCarthy was on the phone with the former president as the riot unfolded.
McCarthy called out Trump in a panic as rioters raped the Capitol and pleaded with him to call his supporters, only for Trump to scold the House’s top Republican for not doing more to overturn the results of the presidential election of 2020.
“There will be no reluctance on the part of the committee to sue,” Thompson said of McCarthy’s appeal. “The committee will want to know if there is a record of what was said. “
The exchange between McCarthy and Trump is of singular importance, as it offers a rare window into what Trump, sequestered in the West Wing, was thinking and saying in private as the Capitol was invaded.
But Thompson went further and said he expects anyone – whether a sitting member of Congress or a former White House official – who might have spoken to Trump on January 6 is the subject of the select committee’s investigation.
That prospect took on added significance on Monday, after McCarthy named House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan as one of his picks for the panel. Jordan previously suggested that he may have also spoken to Trump during the assault.
“If someone spoke to the president on January 6, I think it would be important for our committee to know what was said. I can’t imagine you talking to the president about anything else on January 6, ”said Thompson.
He also warned Republicans against any attempt to thwart the committee’s investigation, saying he had no deadline to provide a report and, therefore, would be immune to delaying tactics previously. deployed during Trump’s first impeachment inquiry.
“Despite the election next year, we will not stop until our investigation is complete,” said Thompson.
Summons to appear in court
In this context, Thompson said he expects to demand testimony from senior Trump administration officials who were in the Oval Office as the riot unfolded, from the then chief of staff to the White House, Mark Meadows, to Trump’s daughter, Ivanka.
If Trump administration officials refused to appear before the committee, citing executive privilege, Thompson said he would issue subpoenas and launch lawsuits to enforce his oversight of Congress.
“We are going to sue,” he said.
Thompson added that he expects the select committee and House lead investigators to meet with Attorney General Merrick Garland and was optimistic that his investigation will be conducted in close coordination with the Department of Justice.
He was adamant that his investigation would not overlap with existing criminal investigations initiated by the Department of Justice and the United States District Attorney for the District of Columbia. Still, he said he hoped the DoJ would cooperate with his investigation.
“We don’t want to obstruct the indictments,” Thompson said. “But I think there might be some information sharing that might be relevant to our investigation, just as other committees have negotiated in the past.”
Thompson said while no date has been set for a meeting with the attorney general, it would involve members and senior staff of the January 6 select committee. Senior executives could be appointed as early as this week, according to a source familiar with the matter.
To underscore his seriousness, Thompson said the select committee would rely on legal advisers and investigators from existing House panels as well as the US intelligence community – including the NSA, CIA and FBI.
Thompson also said he expects the National Archives, the agency now in possession of the Trump White House documents, to make documents available for his investigation. “This shouldn’t be a problem,” he said, while leaving open the possibility of subpoenas for non-compliance.
And he vowed to lay criminal charges if Trump’s White House files, covering the period from the November to January 6 election, were missing or destroyed – a lingering concern among Democrats as Trump grew increasingly unbalanced during the last weeks of administration.
“It violates the law,” Thompson said. “I see no hesitation on our part to continue down this path. If respect for the rule of law is not respected, that is one more reason for this select committee to exist.
[ad_2]
Source link