U.S. Capitol Riot: More People Present Evidence Against Trump

WASHINGTON-

More witnesses are coming forward with new details about the January 6 US Capitol riots following former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s devastating testimony last week against former US President Donald Trump. says a member of a US House committee investigating the insurrection.

The panel has already subpoenaed former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who investigators hope will appear Wednesday for a statement, as saying he would also welcome details of follow-up from Secret Service members with Trump that day.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., cited Hutchinson’s testimony that Trump wanted to join an angry crowd that marched to Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, where they rioted, as particularly valuable in “inspiring” more people to give a step forward while the committee is established. for at least two public hearings this month.

“Every day we get new people coming forward and saying, ‘Hey, I didn’t think maybe this part of history that I knew was important,'” he said Sunday. “There will be a lot more information and stay tuned. ”

The committee has been ramping up its year-long investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack and Trump’s efforts to nullify the 2020 election. Upcoming hearings will be aimed at showing how Trump illegally led a violent mob into Capitol Hill on Jan. January and then failed to take quick action to stop the attack once it started. Over the weekend, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, the committee’s vice chair, made it clear that criminal referrals to the Justice Department, including against Trump, could follow.

The committee has also been reviewing new documentary footage from Trump’s final months in office, including interviews with Trump and members of his family.

Kinzinger, in a television interview, declined to reveal the new information he was referring to and did not say who had provided it. He said nothing had changed the committee’s confidence in his credibility.

“There is information that I can’t say yet,” he said. “We would certainly say that Cassidy Hutchinson has testified under oath, we find her credible, and anyone who wants to discredit that, who was present first hand, should also testify under oath and not through anonymous sources.”

In a separate interview, another committee member, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said, “We’re following up on additional leads. I think those clues will lead to new testimonies.”

In Hutchinson’s appearance before the committee, he painted a picture of Trump as an angry and defiant president trying to allow armed supporters to bypass security checkpoints at a rally on the morning of January 6 to protest his election loss. 2020 against Democrat Joe Biden.

According to Hutchinson, Cipollone was concerned that Trump would face criminal charges if he joined his supporters in the march on Capitol Hill.

Legal experts have said Cassidy’s testimony is potentially problematic for Trump as federal prosecutors investigate possible criminal wrongdoing.

Cheney said in an interview broadcast Sunday that the committee was still considering issuing recommendations to the Justice Department, saying “there could be more than one criminal reference.”

Committee members said they are hopeful Cipollone will show up.

“Clearly he has information about concerns about criminal violations, concerns about the president going to Capitol Hill that day, concerns about the chief of staff having blood on his hands if they don’t do more to stop that violent attack on Capitol Hill.” Schiff said. “It’s hard to imagine someone else at the center of things.”

In her testimony, Cassidy recounted a conversation with Tony Ornato, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for operations, who she said said Trump later grabbed the wheel of the presidential van when the Secret Service refused to let him go to Capitol Hill after the rally

That account was disputed, however. Bobby Engel, the Secret Service agent who was driving Trump, and Ornato are willing to testify under oath that no officers were assaulted and that Trump never lunged for the steering wheel, a person familiar with the matter said. The person did not discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“We had interviewed Mr. Ornato multiple times,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat and a member of the panel. “Her memory of him doesn’t seem to be as accurate as hers. We would certainly welcome them back if they wish.”

The committee has also been working to schedule an interview with Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She was asked to speak to the committee after revelations of her communications with the Trump team in the lead up to and on the day of the uprising on Capitol Hill.

Kinzinger appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Schiff was on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Cheney appeared on ABC’s “This Week” and Lofgren spoke on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

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