January 6 committee news - latest: GOP braces for conspiracy-laden Trump anniversary speech

Documents obtained by a House panel investigating the assault on the US Capitol mounted by pro-Trump rioters nearly one year ago reveal how the former president’s allies planned a campaign to intimidate election officials and spread voter fraud falsehoods.

That revelation came as a new poll found that as many as 91 per cent of Republican voters believed the 2020 election was not won by president Joe Biden “fair and square”, in figures that suggest a widening divide among Americans.

Voters for Mr Biden meanwhile said by 75 per cent that false accusations of fraud could trigger “another attack like Jan 6”, according to YouGov and Yahoo.

Another document obtained by the committee was reportedly drafted for the former president for his signature, calling for the seizure of “evidence” in service of the false claims of voter fraud that propelled the attack and his spurious bid to overturn election results.

In recent weeks, the committee has accelerated its probe into the attack, fuelled by conspiracy theories that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against Mr Trump, and a violent attempt to reject the votes of millions of Americans.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks to mark one year since the attack, according to the White House. At the Capitol, lawmakers will hold a memorial service.

Meanwhile, the former president – who has waged a legal challenge to block the committee’s access to records – will deliver remarks from Mar-a-Lago reviving his baseless narrative that the election was stolen from him.

Follow for live updates

Key Points

• New documents show how Trump team planned to target election officials

• Committee has ‘firsthand evidence’ that Ivanka Trump urged ex-president to stop violence

• Trump could face seditious conspiracy charge over Capitol riot, expert says

• Several sentencings in Capitol riot cases to occur this week

• Capitol Police detail changes made in year since January 6 at press conference

GOP braces for conspiracy-laden Trump riot speech

20:00 , John Bowden

Republican lawmakers are openly cringing at the prospect of former President Donald Trump speaking this week about the riot that overtook the US Capitol last year.

The former president has never recanted his false claims about voter fraud and the 2020 election, and even reportedly floated conspiracy theories to his supporters at Mar-a-Lago events suggesting that he could be reinstated before Joe Biden’s term concludes.

“I don't think that's a good idea,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, a Republican, told Politico.

Sen Pat Toomey, a retiring Pennsylvania GOPer, added to the news outlet that the speech, planned for the one-year anniversary of the riot, was not a “terribly good idea”.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was more muted in his criticism, telling reporters at a news conference that it would be “interesting” to hear what Mr Trump had to say. The Senate GOP leader publicly broke with the president and refused to support objections to the 2020 election’s certification last January, enraging the former president.

Capitol Police detail changes made in year since January 6

19:45 , John Bowden

At a press conference on Tuesday, US Capitol Police officials detailed the changes the agency has made to improve security and other aspects of their work in the year since thousands of Trump supporters stormed the complex.

J. Thomas Manger, the chief of US Capitol Police, explained that the agency had “formalised” the process for requesting and receiving aid from neighboring jurisdictions, received more equipment for the agency’s civil disturbance unit, while also strengthening mental health support resources for officers.

He also defended the agency’s track record in the face of a question about a recent incident in which a House aide in a nonpartisan office brought a gun through a security checkpoint; the aide was stopped soon afterwards, but the image of the firearm on the security screening machine was missed initially by an officer.

Trump ‘probably’ thought watching rioters’ destruction was ‘fun’, niece says

19:20 , John Bowden

Former President Donald Trump’s estranged niece Mary Trump speculated that Mr Trump was likely enjoying watching rioters being “murderous” on his behalf as the events of January 6 unfolded.

Speaking with SiriusXM’s Dean Obeidallah on Monday, Ms Trump responded to reports that the committee could prove that Ivanka Trump, a White House adviser, was urging her father to act during the chaos. The ex-president waited hours as the attack unfolded to go on camera and tell rioters to leave the building, and never did so on live TV.

Mr Trump “probably thought, one, that it was fun to watch all of these people being murderous on his behalf...[and] two, that that would be the best way for him to stay in power”, she said.

Post poll: Republicans who watch Fox News 18 per cent more likely to support rioters

18:55 , John Bowden

A poll published by The Washington Post on Monday found that Republicans who regularly watch Fox News were far more likely to hold the view that those who stormed the Capitol on January 6 were “peaceful” than were those Republicans who do not watch the network often.

The poll also showed a 20-point gap between “Fox News Republicans” and non-watchers regarding whether they think the election was “stolen” by President Joe Biden, with Fox News viewers more likely to say that it was.

Those beliefs could come back to bite the GOP in the months ahead, as the survey also found less confidence among that group regarding whether they believe the midterm elections will be administered fairly.

New analysis shows massive volume of Facebook posts calling for violence ahead of Jan 6

18:30 , John Bowden

A new analysis published in The Washington Post and ProPublica reveals the extent of the planning and calls for action that occurred on Facebook in the weeks and days leading up to the Capitol attack.

More than half a million posts were identified on the platform between 3 November, 2020, and 6 January, 2021, that questioned or outright denied the legitimacy of President Joe Biden’s victory, the Post and ProPublica reported. Many called for outright violence against elected and unelected officials including former Attorney General Bill Barr, who drew the ire of Trump supporters by declaring that he saw no evidence for claims of widespread voter or election fraud.

“Looks like civil war is becoming inevitable,” read one all-caps post that was published on the platform during that period.The surge in election-related conspiracies following the 2020 vote came as the company disbanded its Civic Integrity Team, which the Post and ProPublica report coincided with a “noticeable drop in policing” of such content.

Facebook officials have vocally denied that their platform played a key role in the organisation of the crowds that descended on the Capitol that day.

Mother who brought young teen to riot to be sentenced

18:05 , John Bowden

One of two parents who are accused of bringing their 14-year-old child to the Capitol and storming the building with the minor in tow will be sentenced on Friday.

Virginia Marie Spencer plead guilty to one count of demonstrating, parading, or picketing in the Capitol; because of her presence near Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office while rioters were outside calling for her death, prosecutors are seeking a three-month prison sentence followed by a lengthy probation period and a fine.

Her husband, Christopher Spencer, faces multiple charges, to all of which he has plead not guilty. Ms Spencer previously faced a number of charges, but accepted a plea agreement in September.

Mr Spencer’s trial date is unclear, and it whether they will face further consequences at the state level for bringing their teenage child to the attack is not publicly known.

More sentencings will occur throughout the week

17:40 , John Bowden

Tuesday’s proceedings are just the beginning of a long week of news regarding sentencings for those convicted of or pleading guilty to participating in the riot.

Sentencing hearings in the cases of Mitchell Paul Vukich, Nicholas Alvear, and Nicholas Perretta will occur on Wednesday, while Virginia Marie Spencer will be sentenced on Friday.

The rapid pace of the sentencings underscores the volume of cases that DC courts are still working through as a result of January 6.

Sentencing of second Capitol rioter to occur Tuesday afternoon

17:15 , John Bowden

A second Capitol rioter will be sentenced on Tuesday as the proceedings in Michael Joseph Rusyn’s case are set to begin at 1:00 p.m. eastern.

Mr Rusyn, who plead guilty to one count of demonstrating, parading or picketing in the US Capitol, appears to have gotten a relatively light charge given what federal prosecutors say he was involved in during the January 6 attack. According to the sentencing memo filed in a US District Court, Mr Rusyn was involved in two separate scenes where rioters clashed with and overwhelmed law enforcement. He was also accused of lying to investigators in the course of the probe into his and others’ actions.

“His conduct...is more serious than that of other misdemeanor defendants who were not present when points of entry were breached and police lines were overwhelmed,” reads the sentencing memo.

Prosecutors are hoping for a sentence of 45 days and a $500 fine for Mr Rusyn.

‘You’re affected by it’: Capitol Hill staffers vent frustrations one year after Jan 6

16:50 , John Bowden

Capitol Hill staffers are still traumatised by the violence and chaos that unfolded at their workplace nearly a year after thousands of Trump supporters stormed the complex.

In interviews with The Independent, many described how they were haunted by rioters’ explicit death threats against themselves and members of the House and Senate.

“No matter who you are, if you work up there, if you’re a staffer up there, you’re affected by it. If you were there, it is gonna leave a scar,” said a staffer with the office of the Clerk of the House.

The staffer, who remained anonymous, excoriated members of Congress for showing public support of Ashli Babbitt, a woman killed by police during the riot while attempting to breach the House chamber while lawmakers were inside against police orders to turn back.

“You’ll just see a tweet where a member you know supports Ashley Babbitt, and it’s like …f*** you. You know what I mean? Like f*** yourself,” he said.

Sentencing to begin shortly for 19-year-old rioter

16:10 , John Bowden

Sentencing begins at 11:00 a.m. eastern for Leonard Pearson Ridge IV, a 19-year-old from Pennsylvania who has plead guilty to one charge in relation with his participation in the January 6 attack.

Mr Ridge plead guilty to one count of entering and remaining in a restricted area, a charge for which federal prosecutors in the District of Columbia are seeking 45 days in jail, community service hours, and a $500 fine.

“[T}he defendant used social media to boast about the riot, including that he had stormed the U.S. Capitol Building and that individuals had broken down doors,” reads the federal government’s sentencing request.

“The defendant’s conduct on January 6, like the conduct of scores of other individuals, took place in the context of a large and violent riot that relied on numbers to overwhelm law enforcement, breach the Capitol, and disrupt the proceedings. The requested sentence is necessary and appropriate in light of the defendant’s participation in the riot and his particular actions described herein,” it continues.

Trump could face seditious conspiracy charge over Capitol riot, expert says

15:43 , John Bowden

A former US attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan speculated during an MSNBC appearance that former President Donald Trump could be charged with seditious conspiracy, a violation of the US code that carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Barbara McQuade told the news network that Mr Trump’s supposed refusal to stop the riot from occurring could potentially rise to the level of attempting to obstruct an official procedure.

“There is a crime making it illegal to corruptly impede or obstruct an official proceeding, which includes proceedings before Congress,” she said. “If he had the power to stop that riot from happening and to permit the vote to go forward, his failure to do that could be that effort to corruptly obstruct the official proceeding.”

The US code defines seditious conspiracy as any attempt by two or more people to overthrow the US government, as well as any attempt to “prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States”, which could potentially include the congressional procedure to certify the results of the Electoral College vote on January 6.

Trump backers say by 91 per cent that election not won ‘fair’

13:55 , Gino Spocchia

As many as 91 per cent of Trump voters told pollsters that the 2020 election was not won by US president Joe Biden “fair and square”, a new poll has found.

The poll by Yahoo News/YouGov poll also found that as many as 75 per cent of Trump voters (75 percent) falsely said the 2020 election was “rigged and stolen”.

That was reportedly the highest figure yet, and suggests a widening divide among Americans over 2020’s vote and the following Capitol riot.

Biden voters meanwhile said by 75 per cent that false accusations of fraud could trigger “another attack like Jan 6”, pollsters said.

The concerns echo fears of analysts and commentators about the risk of future unrest in the US – should Mr Trump or a similar figure return to the White House.

The most memorable images of the Capitol riot

13:20 , Gino Spocchia

The Capitol riot will long be remembered for the destruction that occurred as hundreds of Trump supporters swarmed the seat of American democracy, and the five lives lost that day.

It will also be hard to forget the figures who appeared in now iconic images of the day that rocked the US, including the sight of Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman confronting rioters in a hallway of Congress.

Lawmakers were also famously pictured hiding from rioters or barricading themselves into the House chamber, with the “QAnon Shaman” and others on the other side.

Nathan Place writes:

One year on, these are the most memorable images of the Capitol riot

How many accused Capitol rioters have been charged?

12:55 , Gino Spocchia

The US Justice Department has said at least 275 people have been charged with corruptly obstructing, influencing, or impeding an official proceeding on 6 January, and around 40 have been charged with conspiracy to obstruct a congressional proceeding.

Another 31 accused rioters have been sentenced to prison already, the department says, and another 165 have pleaded guilty to federal charges, with four facing up to 20 years in prison for felonies.

In total, around 640 have been charged with entering or remaining in a restricted federal building or grounds, with over 75 charged with entering a restricted area with a dangerous or deadly weapon, 45 with destruction of government property, and over 30 have been charged with theft of government property.

The FBI remains on the hunt for 350 people suspected of rioting on the Capitol.

Fewer than half of Republicans recall attack ‘violence'

12:20 , Gino Spocchia

Fewer than half of all Republicans who responded to a new poll have said the 6 January attack on the US Capitol was not “very or extremely violent”.

In fact, about four in 10 said the attack carried out by supporters of Donald Trump was very violent or extremely violent, and three in 10 Republicans said the attack was not violent at all.

The poll, carried out by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, found a sharp divide between Republicans and Democrats, with about nine in 10 of the latter describing 6 January as violent.

The trend follows similar polls that suggest Republicans are more likely to support violence against the government and are more likely to feel that 2020’s election was stolen – as alleged by Mr Trump before the attack on the Capitol.

US could fall to a right-wing dictatorship by 2030

11:55 , Gino Spocchia

A political science professor has warned that the US could be under a right-wing dictatorship by the end of the decade.

Thomas Homer-Dixon, who is the founding director of the Cascade Institute at Royal Roads University, British Columbia, wrote in a recent editorial that “By 2025, American democracy could collapse, causing extreme domestic political instability”.

Mr Homer-Dixon said that could feature “widespread civil violence. By 2030, if not sooner, the country could be governed by a right-wing dictatorship.”

His warning comes after an American political science researcher and former US military generals all recently warned of increasing political instability in the wake of 6 January.

Tom Fenton writes:

US could be under a right-wing dictatorship by the end of the decade, expert warns

How many police officers were injured on 6 Jan?

11:35 , Gino Spocchia

Some 140 police officers - including about 80 Capitol Police officers and about 65 Metropolitan Police Department officers - were assaulted in the attack while on 6 January,

The police departments have revealed how injuries sustained ranged from bruises and cuts to concussions, rib fractures and burns – while one police officer even suffered a mild heart attack.

Among the more than 350 suspects still wanted by the FBI, more than 250 are suspected of assaulting law enforcement officers during the attack.

Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick was killed during the riot “while physically engaging with protesters,” and two other officers died in the days and weeks after the riot by suicide, police have said.

FBI still hunting for 350 Capitol riot suspects

11:15 , Gino Spocchia

The FBI is still hunting for 350 suspects almost one year on from the attack on the US Capitol that killed five people and injured dozens of others.

Thursday will mark exactly one year since Donald Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol to try to stop the certification of electoral college votes for president Joe Biden. The former president had told his supporters beforehand to “march” on the home of Congress.

Around 800 rioters entered the building, attacking law enforcement officers and sending lawmakers fleeing for their lives. More than 725 people have been arrested and a few sentenced.

Rachel Sharp writes:

FBI still hunting for 350 Capitol riot suspects almost one year on

A third of Americans say justice sometimes justified against government

10:56 , Gino Spocchia

Twelve months on from the Capitol riot attack, an astonishing third of respondents to a University of Maryland/Washington Post poll said it was sometimes justified to use violence against the US government.

As many as 34 per cent of respondents agreed with the sentiment that it was sometimes “justified for citizens to take violent action against the government”.

Which was only a few percentage points higher than the share (29 per cent) who said they still believed that president Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election was illegitimate.

John Bowden writes:

A third of US says political violence justified a year on from Capitol riot

Ivanka told Trump to ‘stop the violence’, Liz Cheney says

10:35 , Gino Spocchia

Congresswoman Liz Cheney said on Sunday that the House panel investigating 6 January had received eyewitness accounts about how the first family watched and reacted to the attack on Congress.

She told ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos: “We are learning much more about what former president Trump was doing while the violent assault was underway,”

“The committee has firsthand testimony now that he was sitting in the dining room next to the Oval Office watching the attack on television as the assault on the Capitol occurred”.

While Mr Trump did not use the briefing room next door to the Oval Office to deliver such a message, he did go on to tweet that his supporters were “special” on 6 January.

Ms Cheney added on Sunday that “We know his daughter — we have firsthand testimony that his daughter Ivanka went in at least twice to ask him to ‘please stop this violence’”, citing an eyewitness.

“He could have told them to stand down. He could have told them to go home — and he failed to do so. It’s hard to imagine a more significant and more serious dereliction of duty than that.”

Ivanka told Trump to ‘stop the violence’, says Jan 6 committee

From the QAnon Shaman to zip-tie guy: The most notable Capitol rioters and what happened to them

10:15 , Eleanor Sly

With the first anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol looming, more than 700 people have been arrested for their alleged part in the most serious breach of the building since the War of 1812. Many are facing only minor charges, but others are in far more serious trouble – and among those already sentenced are some of the most familiar faces from the abundant footage of the day’s events.

As the hard work of identifying, arresting and prosecuting those involved in the riot continues, here’s what’s happened so far to some of the day’s most notorious figures.

Andrew Naughtie reports:

The most notable Capitol rioters and what happened to them

Democrats planned ‘contingency election’ after predicting Trump would try to steal 2020 election

09:15 , Rory Sullivan

The Democrats started planning a “contingency election” six months before the 2020 election, after realising that Donald Trump might try to steal the vote.

Maryland Rep Jamie Raskin, a Democrat who was closely involved in the attempted impeachment of the former president following the Capitol riot, said preparation began in May 2020 to prevent the election from being stolen.

In his new book Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and Trials of American Democracy, he writes: “Trump was going to steal the election and nothing was going to stop him – not the Electoral College vote, not the popular vote, not the law or the courts.”

“With that increasingly obvious plan in mind, we began to sketch out different scenarios for how Trump would work to bring about a constitutional crisis,” Mr Raskin adds.

Eric Garcia has more details:

Inside Democrats’ plan to prevent Trump from stealing the election

Could Indiana Rep. Greg Pence be called to interview by 6 Jan Committee?

08:25 , Rory Sullivan

Not long before the rioters broke into the Senate on 6 January 2021, the Republican congressman Greg Pence and his more famous brother - the then vice-president Mike Pence - were whisked away to safety by the Secret Service.

The 65-year-old Indiana representative has rarely spoken publicly about the events that day. But last July he said “couldn’t be prouder” of his brother’s actions.

There is the chance he could be asked to recount his experiences by the January 6 committee, whose members have said they will not give details about the individuals being called.

Rep. Pence voted twice against forming a committee to investigate the attack last year and also voted against impeaching Donald Trump.

Read more here:

Jan. 6 attack posed loyalty test for Indiana Rep. Greg Pence

Jan 6 riots prompt change for Capitol Police

07:30 , Rory Sullivan

In the year since the storming of the Capitol, the police department tasked with protecting the symbolic heart of American democracy has transformed.

After the attack, the leaders of the Capitol Police were dismissed over criticism of intelligence failures. Over the intervening months, the force’s funding has jumped by 15 per cent and people have a greater awareness of its role.

“It’s a sea change between this year and last year in terms of how the Capitol Police are thinking, and operating,” said Chuck Wexler, the head of the Police Executive Research Forum. “They’re going to be over-prepared, and willing to be criticized for being over-prepared.”

However, there is still fear in some quarters about the force’s ability to respond to another attack.

Jim Jordan could face jail time if he defies House Committee

06:38 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Former US Attorney Barabra McQuade said that Republican representative Jim Jordan could face jail time if he defies the 6 January committee.

In an interview with MSNBC, Ms McQuade said that “Jim Jordan doesn’t have a leg to stand on” if he defies the House select committee and refuses to talk if he is issued a subpoena.

She said: “This is absolutely a situation that’s unprecedented, subpoenaing a member of Congress. As a professional courtesy, they have first been requested to come forward, but if they continue to refuse, Chairman [Bennie] Thompson (D-MS) said they will use subpoenas if necessary.”

Ms McQuade added: “I imagine they will fight them, you know, asserting some of the same legal arguments we heard from others. But I think, if Congress wants this information, there is nothing in the law that prohibits them from issuing subpoenas to fellow members of Congress.”

She said that if Mr Jordan “at some point if he continues to fight, then the committee will demand that he come by issuing a subpoena. At that point his options are to be held in contempt, which can include jail time if he is prosecuted for that crime; so the same path that we have seen for Steve Bannon. So I think it is going to be difficult for him to manage, because unlike Steve Bannon, he’s an elected official.”

Mike Pence was a ‘hero’ on 6 January, House Committee member says

05:59 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Rep Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, said that former vice president Mike Pence was a “hero” and a “patriot” on the day of the Capitol riots.

A member of the House select committee investigating the events of 6 January, Mr Raskin told CBS News that “on that day, he [Mike Pence] was a hero. And this is a guy who, I felt, went along with way too much during the Trump administration. But on that day, he was a constitutional patriot.”

Former president Donald Trump had attacked Mike Pence in a tweet and said that “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify.”

Some Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol had also called for Mr Pence’s execution, chanting “hang Mike Pence.”

Kevin McCarthy accuses Democrats of politicising 6 Jan riots

05:36 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Kevin McCarthy, California Republican and House Minority leader accused the Democrats of using the Capitol riots as a “partisan political weapon to further divide our country.”

In a letter to the GOP, Mr McCarthy wrote: “As we have said from the start, the actions of that day were lawless and as wrong as wrong can be. Our Capitol should never be compromised and those who broke the law deserve to face legal repercussions and full accountability.”

He continued: “Unfortunately, one year later, the majority party seems no closer to answering the central question of how the Capitol was left so unprepared and what must be done to ensure it never happens again. Instead, they are using it as a partisan political weapon to further divide our country.”

Public hearings could begin in a matter of weeks from now, House Committee member says

05:12 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Representative Adam B Schiff, a Democrat from California and a member of the House committee investigating the Capitol riots, said that public hearings could begin “in a matter of weeks, if not a couple of months from now”.

The committee aims to release its final report before the November midterm elections.

The New York Times reported that the committee is planning for a more public stage for its investigation in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden and vice-President Kamala Harris are scheduled to give speeches on Thursday, marking the one year anniversary of the 6 January riots.

Documents Mark Meadows shared led to more questions, House Committee member says

04:46 , Maroosha Muzaffar

One of the members of the House Committee investigating the 6 January Capitol riots has said that the documents that the then chief of staff, Mark Meadows, shared with the committee have led to more questions.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California told NPR that before Mr Meadows reversed his stand to cooperate with the committee, the documents he shared revealed a “large amount of information to the committee.”

She added: “Many of those documents are very revealing but lead us to having more questions. For example, in one text, there was a reference that there should be a further discussion on Signal, which is an encrypted app. We’d like to know what that consisted of. There are references to communication with state officials in an effort to try and overturn the election. We’d like to know more about that. Mark made a trip to Georgia. You know, we’d like to know a lot more about that.”

January 6 Committee has ‘firsthand testimony’ of Trump's inaction, Liz Cheney says

04:13 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney said that the 6 January committee had “first-hand testimony” that former president Donald Trump watched the riots unfold even as calls from several of his allies, family members and conservative TV hosts pleaded with him to quell the riots.

Ms Cheney said that “the committee has firsthand testimony now that he was sitting in the dining room next to the Oval Office watching the attack on television as the assault on the Capitol occurred.”

She said that the former president “could have easily” walked the few steps to the White House briefing room and told the rioters to stop and go home.

She added: “We know, as he was sitting there in the dining room next to the Oval Office, members of his staff were pleading with him to go on television to tell people to stop. We know Leader McCarthy was pleading with him to do that. We know members of his family, we know his daughter — we have firsthand testimony that his daughter Ivanka went in at least twice to ask him to please stop this violence.”

How January 6 broke the House

04:00 , Alex Woodward

The Independent’s interviews with multiple House members and former staff, paint a picture of a hostile work environment in the wake of the Capitol riot.

One year on, the heart of American democracy is riven by distrust and division that goes far beyond partisan politics as usual.

The Independent’s Eric Garcia reports on how the attacks on the Capitol sparked a crisis for democracy and the people who keep it running:

‘More toxic, more difficult’: How January 6 broke the House

January 6 committee studying whether to subpoena Republican lawmakers

03:51 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The House select committee investigating the 6 January Capitol riots is studying whether it can subpoena Republican lawmakers, chairman Bennie Thompson said.

He told NBC that the committee members are investigating whether some sitting Republican members of Congress can be issued subpoenas. “I think there are some questions of whether we have the authority to do it. We’re looking at it. If the authorities are there, there’ll be no reluctance on our part.”

Trump allies planned harassment and intimidation campaign against election officials and ‘weak’ House members, documents show

03:00 , Alex Woodward

A "strategic communications plan" from Trump’s allies called for targeting the homes of secretaries of state and election officials across the US, according to documents obtained by the House committee investigating the Capitol attack.

The plan called for protests at the homes of election officials, Secretaries of State, GOP state legislators and members of Congress deemed “weak”.

It also singles out Michigan’s secretary of state, who was confronted by pro-Trump protesters outside her home on 6 December 2020.

Trump allies planned harassment campaign against election officials, documents show

‘A hodge-podge of extremist beliefs'

02:15 , Alex Woodward

What do many of the more than 700 people charged in connection with the Capitol riots have in common? They come from all over America, with regular jobs and backgrounds, and are united in the baseless narrative that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump.

For those who track and study extremism in the United States, that such a broad range of people chose to engage in the riot in some way is concerning, reports The Independent’s Richard Hall.

“That’s almost more alarming, because it’s not alarming,” says Seamus Hughes, deputy director of the George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.. “There’s not a profile. They range from 18-81 in age. They come from 45 different states — they are all over the map. The unifying idea is that ‘we have to stop the steal’ [of the 2020 election]. But it’s kind of a hodge-podge of extremist beliefs.”

Richard Hall reports on the banality of extremism that led a mob to rush the halls of Congress in an attempt to disrupt a democratic election:

Extremism experts explain the most alarming thing about the Capitol rioters

What happened to high-profile Capitol riot cases

01:15 , Alex Woodward

QAnon Shaman, the “zip tie guy”, and rioters who threatened violence against lawmakers and Nancy Pelosi – here’s what we know about the state of some of the higher-profile cases tied to the Capitol riot.

A person suspected of planting pipe bombs around the Capitol is still at large.

Andrew Naughtie reports:

The most notable Capitol rioters and what happened to them

Attorney General Merrick Garland to deliver remarks ahead of Capitol riot anniversary

00:30 , Alex Woodward

US Attorney General Merrick Garland will address Justice Department employees in a speech on Wednesday ahead of the one-year anniversary of the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.

His remarks are expected to “reaffirm the department’s unwavering commitment to defend Americans and American democracy from violence and threats of violence.”

But is not expected to address any of the charges related to the hundreds of Capitol riot cases.

“While he will not speak to specific individuals or charges, the Attorney General will discuss the department’s solemn duty to uphold the Constitution, follow the facts and the law, and pursue equal justice under law without fear or favor,” according to a statement.

Trump family seeks to quash subpoenas from New York AG’s probe into Trump Organization

00:00 , Alex Woodward

Trump and his eldest son and daughter Donald Jr and Ivanka have filed a motion to quash subpoenas from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into the Trump Organization.

In a statement on Monday night, the attorney general said that “for more than two years, members of the Trump family and the Trump Organization have continually sought to delay and impede our investigation into Donald Trump and the Trump Organization, but despite their names, they must play by the same rules as everyone else.”

“These delay tactics will not stop us from following the facts or the law, which is why we will be asking the court to compel Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump to testify with our office under oath,” she said. ‘Our investigation will continue undeterred.”

Investigation reveals dozens of GOP officials with connections to the Oath Keepers

Monday 3 January 2022 23:30 , Alex Woodward

Dozens of members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group have been arrested in connection with the Capitol riot, but an investigation from ProPublica – which obtained a list of 35,000 members of the group – points to the organisation’s growing footprint within the Republican Party.

At least 48 state and local Republican government officials were on the list, including 10 sitting state lawmakers, two former legislators, and elected officials, law enforcement chiefs and other officials in several states.

The investigation also found more than 400 people who signed up for membership or updates from the militia using email addresses tied to their work in government, military or political campaigns.

How the extremist landscape has shifted since 6 January

Monday 3 January 2022 22:20 , Alex Woodward

Domestic extremist groups – from the QAnon conspiracy movement to far-right militia groups and white nationalists – are leveraging local issues to amplify their platforms.

The strategy has also been echoed among more-mainstream conservative groups, as right-wing figures on the stages of rallies and at CPAC urge followers to focus on local campaigns to make change.

A forthcoming analysis from the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council previewed by NBC News reporters Brandy Zadrozny and Ben Collins found that “despite an initial decline, domestic extremist groups have evolved and resurfaced, encouraging local action while recruiting and spreading their messages through culture-war debates including vaccines, race and education.”

“The domestic extremist landscape was battered by Jan 6” Jared Holt, a resident fellow at the Digital Forensic Research Lab and author of the new report, told NBC News. “But extremism is dynamic and fluid. It is always trying to adapt to fit the container that it’s in.”

Trump lawyers drafted letter for seizure of election ‘evidence’ in ‘interest of national security’, documents show

Monday 3 January 2022 22:01 , Alex Woodward

Outside lawyers working for Trump drafted a letter for his signature that would have called for the seizure of “evidence” in service of the false claims of voter fraud he and his allies promoted in the days leading up to the 6 January insurrection, according to documents turned over to Congress.

An entry on a four-page list of evidence that ex-New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik is refusing to turn over to the House Select Committee to investigate the attack shows Mr Kerik is in possession of a document listed as a “draft POTUS letter,” meaning a draft letter from the president.

The draft document, which Mr Kerik is purporting to withhold under attorney-client privilege despite his not being an attorney, is further described as a “DRAFT LETTER FROM POTUS TO SEIZE EVIDENCE IN THE INTEREST OF NATIONAL SECURITY FOR THE 2020 ELECTIONS” dated 17 December 2020, more than a month after most news organisations called the 2020 election for Joe Biden.

Andrew Feinberg has more:

Trump lawyer drafted letter to seize election ‘evidence’, documents show

One-third of Americans believe violence against government sometimes justified

Monday 3 January 2022 21:49 , Alex Woodward

In a University of Maryland/Washington Post poll, 34 per cent of respondents agreed that it was sometimes “justified for citizens to take violent action against the government”.

That share of respondents was only a few percentage points higher than the share (29 per cent) who said they still believed that President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election was illegitimate.

Broken down into reasons for potential violence, 22 per cent of that share who said violent acts were sometimes justified said that it would be morally acceptable to use violence in the case of government “violat[ing] or tak[ing] away rights or freedoms”.

Another 13 per cent of those who said violence was justified said that any violation of the US Constitution by the government would warrant a violent response by citizens.

A third of US says political violence justified a year on from Capitol riot

Capitol police chief: Threat level ‘much higher’ in 2021 but similar attack is less likely

Monday 3 January 2022 21:07 , Alex Woodward

US Capitol Police chief Tom Manger told CBS News that the threat level facing the Capitol is “much higher than it was a year ago” and “exponentially higher than it was five years ago."

The federal agency has expanded its capacity to investigate threats, including opening field offices in California and Florida, and believes it is better positioned to handle a similar assault.

“There could be a situation where something unexpected happens that we’re not prepared for, but I will tell you that today, it is much less likely something like [the Capitol riots] could occur because of the things that we’ve put into place,” he said.

What we know about those charged in Capitol riot cases – and the alarming banality of extremism

Monday 3 January 2022 20:20 , Alex Woodward

Far-right personalities and outrageous cases that have dominated headlines about those charged in connection with the Capitol riot may be obscuring an alarming fact about those who stormed the Capitol on 6 January.

“They are not interesting,” says Seamus Hughes, deputy director of the George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.

“You’ve got construction workers and yoga instructors. They come from a cross-section of America,” he tells The Independent. “The Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys get a lot of media coverage, understandably so, but the vast majority of them are quite typical.”

Richard Hall reports:

Extremism experts explain the most alarming thing about the Capitol rioters

Trump officials who resigned in wake of Capitol attack have since remained silent or come to embrace him again

Monday 3 January 2022 20:00 , Alex Woodward

A report from Politico surveys several Trump-era officials who resigned in the wake of the 6 January attack on the Capitol, marking rare moments of public dissent against the former president from within his administration.

They have since “muted, moved on, or, in certain instances, come to embrace Trump all over again,” Politico reports.

The outlet contacted 18 Trump officials who left office as a result of the attack or whose departures appeared timed to the attack; one agreed to speak on record.

Meanwhile: New York’s top prosecutor subpoenas Donald Trump, Ivanka and Don Jr in fraud probe

Monday 3 January 2022 19:37 , Alex Woodward

The former president and his two oldest children – Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka – have been subpoenaed by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The subpoenas target Trump and his children to cooperate with the ongoing investigation into the Trump Organization, the company that includes about 500 business entities owned by Trump and his family members.

Donald Trump and oldest children subpoenaed in New York fraud probe

‘January 6 was the beginning’: Freshman members of Congress revisit their experience during attacks

Monday 3 January 2022 19:15 , Alex Woodward

US Rep Sarah Jacobs remembers a “buzzing that I will never forget,” describing to NBC News the sound that came from the gas hood she wore in the House chamber as rioters banged on the doors.

“It’s all-consuming, because you have this hood on, and it’s like all you can hear,” she said.

She added: “I feel like a lot of people believe that January 6th was the end ... and I believe January 6th was the beginning.”

Republican Rep Tony Nehls, who was wearing a Texas flag face covering that day, said a rioter

He was within shouting distance of the rioters who were trying to get inside looked at him through the broken glass door and said “you’re from Texas. You should be with us.”

“And at that point I said: ‘No, sir, I cannot support what you’re doing. This is criminal,’” he told NBC.

From the QAnon Shaman to zip-tie guy: The most notable Capitol rioters and what happened to them

Monday 3 January 2022 18:45 , Alex Woodward

More than 700 people have been arrested on charges related to the Capitol riot. Many are facing only minor charges, but others are in far more serious trouble – and among those already sentenced are some of the most familiar faces from the abundant footage of the day’s events.

As the hard work of identifying, arresting and prosecuting those involved in the riot continues, The Independent’s Andrew Naughtie shares what we know so far with some of the more familiar figures charged in the attacks:

The most notable Capitol rioters and what happened to them

Trump allies planned harassment and intimidation campaign against election officials and ‘weak’ House members, documents show

Monday 3 January 2022 18:15 , Alex Woodward

Trump’s allies planned a campaign of harassment and intimidation against election officials and “weak” Republicans leading up to the attack on the Capitol, documents provided to the committee show.

Documents provided to the committee and obtained by The Independent include a 22-page “strategic communications plan” which was to be executed between 27 December 2020 and 6 January 2021, with the goal to “educate the public” about the baseless voter fraud claims and to “inspire citizens to call upon legislators and Members of Congress to disregard the fraudulent vote count and certify the duly-elected President Trump”.

It also called for “rallies and protests” to be organised in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, including protests at the homes of “local officials,” secretaries of state, and “weak members”.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

Trump allies planned harassment campaign against election officials, documents show

‘More toxic, more difficult’: How January 6 broke the House

Monday 3 January 2022 18:00 , Alex Woodward

The attack on the Capitol on 6 January was an assault on democracy, meant to undermine the democratic process.

But Capitol Hill is also an office where 435 members of Congress, together with five non-voting delegates, 100 Senators and thousands of staffers that range from seasoned professionals to earnest recent college graduates and interns, all work.

The Independent’s interviews with multiple House members and former staff, paint a picture of a hostile work environment in the wake of the Capitol riot. One year on, the heart of American democracy is riven by distrust and division that goes far beyond partisan politics as usual.

Washington correspondent Eric Garcia reports:

‘More toxic, more difficult’: How January 6 broke the House

On week of Jan 6 anniversary, Schumer says Democrats will once again try to bring voting rights legislation to a vote

Monday 3 January 2022 17:42 , Alex Woodward

Democratic Senator leader Chuck Schumer said on Monday that the Senate would once again take up federal voting rights legislation, and if legislation is blocked by Republicans for a fourth time, he warned that his caucus would move to begin debate on a change to the chamber’s filibuster rule.

“Over the coming weeks, the Senate will once again consider how to perfect this union and confront the historic challenges facing our democracy,” he said in a letter to senators on Monday. “We hope our Republican colleagues change course and work with us. But if they do not, the Senate will debate and consider changes to Senate rules on or before January 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to protect the foundation of our democracy: free and fair elections.”

Schumer says Senate will take up voting rights, consider filibuster change

Liz Cheney: Trump is ‘at war with the rule of law’

Monday 3 January 2022 16:20 , Alex Woodward

Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney said the former president is only likely to intensify his false claims about the 2020 election as the US approaches the one-year anniversary of the Capitol riots.

Mr Trump “has demonstrated that he is at war with the rule of law”, she told CBS News on Sunday.

“He’s demonstrated that he’s willing to blow through every guardrail of democracy, and he can never be anywhere near the Oval Office again,” she said.

Trump is ‘at war with the rule of law’ says Cheney ahead of Capitol riot anniversary

Republican lawmakers who objected to election results raked in $8m in corporate campaign donations

Monday 3 January 2022 16:00 , Alex Woodward

Campaigns for Republican lawmakers who objected to the results of the 2020 presidential election collected more than $8m in donations from corporations and trade groups, according to a report by Accountable.US.

The report found that while many corporate PACs paused donations to federal campaign after the attack, some of the largest – including the American Bankers Association, Boeing, Raytheon Technologies, Lockheed Martin and General Motors — continued to support campaigns.

“Major corporations were quick to condemn the insurrection and tout their support for democracy – and almost as quickly, many ditched those purported values by cutting big checks to the very politicians that helped instigate the failed coup attempt,” Accountable.US President Kyle Herrig said in a statement.

“The increasing volume of corporate donations to lawmakers who tried to overthrow the will of the people makes clear that these companies were never committed to standing up for democracy in the first place,” he added.

Adam Kinzinger: ‘Jan 6 seems like yesterday to me, I bet it feels like an eternity’ to Kevin McCarthy

Monday 3 January 2022 15:33 , Alex Woodward

Congressman Adam Kinzinger – one of two Republicans serving on the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot, and who will not seek reelection this year – fired off at GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy for inaction against far-right US Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene and obedience to the former president:

A complicated portrait of Ashli Babbitt

Monday 3 January 2022 15:27 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump and his allies have sought to characterise Ashli Babbitt – who was fatally shot by a US Capitol Police officer after she climbed into the House chambers on 6 January – as a political martyr.

The former president has euologised her at his rallies and even recorded a posthumous birthday message. The phrase “who killed Ashli Babbitt” emerged as a far-right meme and rallying cry, and US Rep Paul Gosar claimed the officer who killed her was “lying in wait” to “execute” her.

The life of the Air Force veteran and proponent of election lies “is far more complicated than the heroic portrait presented by Trump and his allies,” according to an in-depth report from the Associated Press.

Ashli Babbitt’s love rival claims she harassed her and rammed into her car

GOP leader accuses Democrats of using Capitol riot as ‘political weapon'

Monday 3 January 2022 15:19 , Alex Woodward

In a letter to House Republicans, GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy reminded his colleagues – many of whom have downplayed the attack on 6 January or defended and euologised rioters – that “the actions of that day were lawless and as wrong as wrong can be.”

“Our Capitol should never be compromised and those who broke the law deserve to face legal repercussions and full accountability,” he said.

He also claimed that House Democrats are “no closer to answering the central question of how the Capitol was left so unprepared and what must be done to ensure it never happens again” but are instead using the attack “as a partisan political weapon to further divide our country.”

Republicans overwhelmingly rejected bipartisan attempts to form a committee to investigate the riot, and Mr McCarthy pulled all Republicans out of the current select committee.

Mr McCarthy said that House Administration Ranking Member Rodney Davis will send a memo to House Republicans “outlining meaningful and measurable steps that should be taken to protect our Capitol from all threats – steps that the current majority party is negligent in acting upon.”

More than 725 people arrested for participation in Capitol riot

Monday 3 January 2022 14:43 , Alex Woodward

In its year-end review of the staggering number of cases wrapped up in the Capitol riots, the US Department of Justice reports more than 750 arrests have been made, and at least 350 people are still wanted in connection with the attack.

More than 225 people are charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, including more than 75 people charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.

Roughly 145 people pleaded guilty to misdemeanors, and 20 others pleaded guilty to felonies.

Among those charged with felonies, six pleaded to charges related to assaults on law enforcement, and four face statutory maximums of 20 years or more in prison as well as potential financial penalties. Two face statutory maximums of eight years in prison as well as potential financial penalties.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to deliver remarks on Jan 6 anniversary

Monday 3 January 2022 14:32 , Alex Woodward

Biden and VP Harris will deliver remarks on Thursday “to mark one year since the January 6th deadly assault on the Capitol,” according to the White House.

At the Capitol, lawmakers will hold a prayer and moment of silence, followed by a “Historic Perspective” conversation between historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham “to establish and preserve the narrative” of the assault, according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.

Lawmakers will then share their experiences that day, followed by a vigil on the Capitol steps.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump – whose supporters mounted the attack in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election – will give a speech from Mar-a-Lago to revive his baseless narrative that the election was stolen from him.

Ivanka twice told Trump to ‘stop the violence’ at Capitol riot but was ignored, witness confirms to Jan 6 committee

Monday 3 January 2022 14:28 , Alex Woodward

Ivanka Trump told her father to “stop the violence” at least twice on 6 January, according to US Rep Liz Cheney.

“We have firsthand testimony that his daughter Ivanka went in at least twice to ask him to ‘please stop this violence,’” she told ABC News on Sunday.

“He could have told them to stand down,” she said. “He could have told them to go home – and he failed to do so. It’s hard to imagine a more significant and more serious dereliction of duty than that.”

Ivanka told Trump to ‘stop the violence’, says Jan 6 committee

Capitol riot committee will submit evidence of crimes for prosecution, chairman says

Monday 3 January 2022 14:23 , Alex Woodward

The chair of the committee investigating the 6 January attack said lawmakers on the panel are duty-bound to submit any evidence of potential criminal activity uncovered by their investigation to the Justice Department, even if Republicans threaten retaliation.

The Independent’s Washington DC correspondent John Bowden has more:

Capitol riot committee will submit evidence of crimes for prosecution, chairman says