U.S. Capitol assault hearings to open with injured police officer and filmmaker

Reuters
·1 min read
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FILE PHOTO: Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in Washington

(Reuters) - A police officer hurt by Donald Trump supporters trying to overturn his election defeat and a filmmaker who recorded some leaders of the U.S. Capitol riot will be among the first witnesses when hearings into the assault begin on Thursday, organizers said.

The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee will attempt to reverse Republican efforts to downplay or deny the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, with five months to go until Nov. 8 midterm elections that will determine which party controls Congress for the next two years.

The committee's first public hearing will begin on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET (0000 GMT June 10), a prime time spot intended to capture the attention of as many Americans as possible, to be shown live on major networks including NBC, ABC and CBS.

U.S. Capitol Officer Caroline Edwards, who sustained a traumatic brain injury that has so far prevented her from returning to her previous duties, and Nick Quested, a filmmaker who has captured footage of the right-wing group Proud Boys and documented events that morning, are due to appear.

Five further hearings are expected in the next two weeks.

Four people died the day of the attack, one fatally shot by police and the others of natural causes. Four police officers later took their own lives and more than 100 were injured.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas in Los Angeles; Editing by Scott Malone and Michael Perry)