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An anonymous White House security official told the House January 6 probe Thursday that Secret Service agents in the Capitol feared for their lives as a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol.
The official recalled to the committee hearing radio traffic on January 6 of how the "Capitol does not sound good right now" and that members of then-Vice President Mike Pence's security detail were starting to fear for their own lives.
"There was a lot of yelling, a lot of very personal calls over the radio, so it was disturbing," the official said. "I don't like talking about it, but there were calls to say goodbye to family members."
The official said the security agents were "running out of options" and "getting nervous" as they considered using "lethal options."
Two former White House aides said former President Donald Trump "added fuel to the fire" to the January 6 Capitol riot by tweeting that then-Vice President Mike Pence "didn't have the courage" to block the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
Matthew Pottinger, former Trump administration deputy national security advisor, told the House January 6 committee Thursday he decided to resign after seeing the tweet. Pottinger said he had earlier been away from the White House. When he returned, he said he saw "the chaos that was unfolding at the Capitol," and an aide handed him a sheet of paper with the now infamous tweet.
"I was disturbed and worried to see that the president was attacking Vice President Pence for doing his constitutional duty," Pottinger.
He said he decided that January 6 would be his last day working in the White House because he "simply didn't want to be associated with with the events that were unfolding on the Capitol."
Sarah Matthews, a former deputy press secretary at the Trump White House, told the committee the tweet gave the "green light" to the rioters and would "be bad" for Pence.
"It was obvious that the situation at the Capitol was violent and escalating quickly," she said. "And so I thought that the tweet about the Vice President was the last thing that was needed in that moment."
Matthews recalled traveling with Trump on the campaign trail and watching as his supporters latched on to every word and tweet from the then-president. She said that Trump should have instead condemned the violence and told his supporters to go home.
President Donald Trump's son, Donald J. Trump Jr. condemned his father's first tweet about the January 6 riots in text messages to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
"He's got to condemn this s**t ASAP. The Capitol Police tweet is not enough," Trump Jr. wrote.
"I am pushing it hard. I agree," Meadows replied.
"This is one you go to the mattresses on they will try to f**k his entire legacy on this if it gets worse," Trump Jr. responded.
In an interview with the committee, Trump Jr. said that "go to the mattresses" was a reference to The Godfather and meant "going all-in."
Witnesses for the House January 6 probe said Donald Trump could have quickly made a national address as a mob overran the Capitol. But White House aides told the probe they worried an "unscripted" remark from Trump could make the situation worse.
Sarah Matthews, who served briefly as a Trump White House deputy press secretary, described to the committee Thursday how the president's staff could have rapidly organized a national address or assembled a press conference within minutes in hopes of quelling the riot.
But Representative Adam Kinzinger said that the probe heard from other White House staff who were worried that Trump, known for his confrontational press appearances, could "actually make matters worse."
Kinzinger recalled how retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, who served as a White House national security official, told the committee he recommended against doing a press conference.
Kellogg told the committee, according to Kinzinger, that during his four years in the Trump administration "there wasn't a single clean press conference we had had."
Representative Elaine Luria said that after Donald Trump was told on January 6 that the Capitol was under attack, the then-president headed to the White House dining room where Fox News was playing.
Citing witness testimony, Luria described how Trump settled in at the White House dining room after his Secret Service detail refused to take him to the Capitol where Congress was certifying the presidential 2020 election.
"There was no official record of what President Trump did while in the dining room," said Luria.
Luria showed clips of what Fox News was broadcasting while Trump was in the dining room. The network was broadcasting the agitated crowd and how police had declared a riot.
"We have confirmed in numerous interviews with senior law enforcement and military leaders, Vice President Pence of staff and DC government officials, none of them not one heard from President Trump that day," said Luria. "He did not call to issue orders. He did not call to offer assistance."
Luria also said that Trump became aware of the riots just 15 minutes after leaving the stage following his speech.
A member of the House January 6 committee says the Secret Service has taken the "unusual" step of retaining private counsel over deleted text messages sought by the panel.
Representative Zoe Lofgren made the revelation to Nicolle Wallace, host of MSNBC's Deadline White House, earlier Thursday.
The Secret Service has come under scrutiny after Inspector General Joseph Cuffari told Congress that it had requested texts from the Secret Service sent on January 5 and 6, 2021. But the Secret Service replied that the texts had been deleted as part of a planned mobile reset.
The committee has turned its attention to the Secret Service after hearing from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. She told the committee how she heard second-hand from a Secret Service official that on January 6 Donald Trump tried to take command of a vehicle driven by an agent and take it to the overrun Capitol.
Lofgren told Wallace the committee wants to hear from Secret Service agents. She also said she was annoyed that the committee had only just recently heard about the deleted texts.
The Thursday evening hearing of the House January 6 committee seeks to build on last week's proceeding that attempted to link Donald Trump to right-wing groups involved with the insurrection.
During its July 12 hearing, the committee heard from Jason Van Tatenhove, a former "propagandist" for the Oath Keepers as well as Stephen Ayres, who pleaded guilty to entering the Capitol illegally.
Both told the committee that in the runup to the Capitol attack, Trump whipped his supporters into a fervor with his false claims the election was stolen.
Donnell Harvin, the former Chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence for the D.C. government, reviewed "alarming" intelligence that other violent pro-Trump groups, including the Proud Boys, were headed to the Capitol.
Representative Jamie Raskin, a member of the committee, sought to link Trump's tweets and public statements to the mob that overran the Capitol.
Mike Fanone, a former Metropolitan police officer, described in his victim impact statement how he was nearly killed by the mob storming the Capitol who overwhelmed other officers in hand-to-hand combat.
Fanone's statement is part of his testimony before the House January 6 committee's Thursday hearing, where he is expected to give his harrowing first-hand account of what he described as an "onslaught."
Former MPD Officer Mike Fanone just delivered his first victim impact statement at a Jan. 6 sentencing hearing. It was emotional. Here’s his prepared remarks, including some hand-written additions he made in court before he spoke. pic.twitter.com/YsL4YNQzmW
Earlier during the attack, Fanone wrote that the United States Capitol Police issued an "agency in distress call" as the mob broke through barriers to the Capitol where lawmakers were certifying the election.
He described how outnumbered officers became separated from their platoons but continued waging their "stand" as they were pelted with metal piping ripped from the scaffolding, rocks, bottles and improvised commercial grade fireworks. Additionally, officers took direct hits of bear spray, he wrote.
"During this onslaught at the [Capitol] door, I was from the front of the police line, pulled into the crowd, and violently beaten and electrocuted with a stun gun," wrote Fanone.
Rioters unsuccessfully attempted to remove his service pistol before a group of demonstrators intervened and pushed him toward the police line, Fanone wrote.
"It is likely that without the intervention of those demonstrators, I would have lost my life," wrote Fanone.
The House January 6 committee's primetime hearing will be a test for the political futures of two of its members.
Representatives Elaine Luria, a Virginia Democrat, and Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, will lead Thursday's hearing that promises to lay out what happened in the White House and other agencies during the attack on the Capitol.
Both are veterans and both have cited their oath to defend the Constitution as a reason for their participation in the committee.
Luria told CNN's Dana Bash earlier Thursday that veterans understand what a time of crisis looks like. She said the hearing will show how then-President Donald Trump failed as commander-in-chief as a mob overtook the Capitol.
"I look at it as a dereliction of duty," she said. "He didn't act. He had a duty to act so we will address that and a lot of detail."
Elected in 2018, Luria faces a tough reelection fight for a House seat redrawn to give Republicans a leg-up.
After becoming an outcast in the Republican Party, Kinzinger has bowed out of reelection, but hasn't ruled out another run for elected office. He previously said support for Trump will gradually wither, much like with disgraced former President Richard Nixon.
Sarah Matthews, an ex-aide to former President Donald Trump, is expected to testify at Thursday night's prime-time hearing of the House Select Committee on the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Matthews, 27, served as a deputy press secretary at the Trump White House for roughly six months before abruptly resigning just after the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. Thursday's January 6 committee hearing, the last public hearing currently scheduled to take place, is expected to focus on Trump's activities during the attack.
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Fox News will again not broadcast Thursday evening's hearing of the House January 6 committee and will instead stick to its regularly scheduled programming.
The network said in a statement provided to The New York Times that Fox Business, which has fewer viewers than Fox News, will instead broadcast the hearing. Fox News will air its usual line-up of Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, some of the network's most watched programs.
Last month, Fox News, which has had a friendly relationship with Donald Trump, was criticized for not airing the hearings that have laid out evidence linking the former president to the attack on the Capitol.
Representative Bill Johnson referred to the House Jan. 6 Committee hearings as "a charade" while speaking with a reporter Thursday afternoon.
Johnson, an Ohio Republican, was asked about the ongoing investigation into the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol Building just hours before the select committee was set to hold its eighth public hearing. The hearing, which is expected to explore former President Donald Trump's actions during the riot, is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET.
Johnson was endorsed by Trump earlier this year in his bid for re-election.
"I have said many, many times before: There had been other investigations already in the Senate, in the Justice Department," Johnson told Spectrum News reporter Taylor Popielarz, who shared a video of Johnson's comments on Twitter.
Ohio @RepBillJohnson (R) on the @January6thCmte hearings: "This is just a charade...Do you know how many people in my district are talking about the January 6th hearings? None. You know how many are talking about out of control inflation, the border crisis...Everybody." pic.twitter.com/RxAsY5FJIB
"This is just a charade," Johnson continued. "It's a distraction from what the real issues are."
Johnson went on to list several issues he said "everybody" in his district are discussing at home, including inflation, gas prices and the border crisis. In contrast, Johnson said "none" of the people in his district are talking about the hearings.
"This is a distraction," he said.
Former First Lady Melania Trump said she was at the time "unaware" of the events that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021.
Trump spoke about the day of the Capitol riot exclusively with Fox News Digital on Thursday, shortly before the House Jan. 6 Committee was scheduled to begin its eighth public hearing.
Trump told Fox News Digital that she was "fulfilling one of my duties as First Lady of the United States of America" and was thus "unaware of what was simultaneously transpiring at the U.S. Capitol Building."
Those duties involved archiving historic items in the White House, a task Trump said a "qualified team of photographers, archivists, and designers" was working on with her. That team's participation in the archival process on that day was planned "months in advance," Trump said.
Trump said she "would have immediately denounced the violence" if she had known what was happening at the Capitol.
The former first lady also rejected comments by her former chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, who has said Trump hesitated to approve a statement denouncing the violence at the riot. Trump said Grisham hadn't been inside the White House on that day and that "her behavior in her role as Chief of Staff ultimately amounts to dereliction of duty."
Steven Bannon spoke to supporters outside of the courtroom of his contempt of Congress trial Thursday.
"I stand with [Donald] Trump and the Constitution," Bannon said to the crowd as he left court.
Bannon, a former strategist for Trump, went to trial for ignoring a Congressional subpoena from the House Select Committee investigating the events of Jan. 6.
His team decided not to present any witnesses or evidence in this case. The jury was sent home without hearing any testimony Thursday.
Closing arguments and jury instruction will begin Friday morning.
DC jury returns tomorrow in Bannon case. He didn’t testify … instead saying this outside (Re-upping this due to audio hit) pic.twitter.com/jajRW9fIRg
Several hours before the House Jan. 6 Committee was scheduled to begin its eighth public hearing, former President Donald Trump posted a reminder on social media about an upcoming rally he is holding in Arizona.
The rally is taking place Friday evening in Prescott Valley. It was initially scheduled for last week but was postponed after the death of Trump's ex-wife Ivana.
"Big Rally in Arizona Friday evening," Trump posted Thursday morning on Truth Social. "See you there!"
The rally is being held less than two weeks before Arizona's primary election. Some of the state's Republican candidates who are endorsed by Trump are expected to address the crowd on Friday, including gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.
Trump endorsed Lake last September. A statement he released at the time said Lake "will do a far better job than RINO Governor Doug Ducey—won't even be a contest!" Ducey, Arizona's sitting governor, has endorsed another Republican in the race.
Trump reiterated his support for Lake in a separate Truth Social post on Thursday.
"Arizona finally has a chance to have a GREAT Governor," his post said. "Vote for Kari Lake - She has my Complete and Total Endorsement!"
One of the people who entered the U.S. Capitol on January 6 was sentenced to two months in prison Thursday.
Dawn Bancroft was inside the Capitol for approximately 30 seconds to one minutes, according to court documents. While attempting to exit the Capitol, Bancroft allegedly filmed herself saying she and Diana Santos-Smith, another woman charged in the riot, "broke into the Capitol" and "did our part."
In September, Bancroft pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge in connection to her involvement in the January 6 riots. She had initially faced four charges.
During the Capitol riot, Bancroft made a video threatening to shoot House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the head.
"We were looking for Nancy to shoot her in the frickin' brain but we didn't find her," Bancroft said in the video made during the riots, according to a criminal complaint. Her defense attorney has stated Bancroft was not being serious when she made the comments and added that the video was meant to be a private message sent to one person.
ALERT: Judge sentences Jan 6 defendant Dawn Bancroft to 2 months prison. Judge says he was especially troubled by Bancroft's selfie video in which she said "We were looking for Nancy to shoot her in the frickin' brain" amid mob Bancroft told judge video was "foolish" https://t.co/rn9brOL3Wb
Judge Emmitt Sullivan delivered the sentence to deter Bancroft and others from that conduct, according to CBS reporter Scott MacFarlane.
The judge said that video was "very troubling."
"They didn't happen in the privacy of your home," he said. "They happened on the steps of the Capitol."
He said there are "probably some misguided souls that think they should probably go to the Capitol and put a bullet in the head" of the Speaker of the House.
"People are responsible for what they say," he added.
Bancroft said the comments she made about Pelosi were "foolish," MacFarlane reported.
The judge said he was considering a longer sentence, but settled on sentencing Bancroft to two months in jail with three years of probation.
The prosecution called their recommended sentence "fair," considering the seriousness of Bancroft's conduct.
Former President Donald Trump on Thursday questioned why the House Jan. 6 Committee, which he refers to as the "Unselect Committee," has not called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to testify.
In a Thursday afternoon post on Truth Social, Trump said he had in early January tried to arrange for thousands of troops to "stand guard" at the U.S. Capitol Building as Congress held a joint session on January 6, 2021, to confirm the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Both Pelosi and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser "turned down" that "recommendation," Trump said.
"Why aren't the Unselects asking Nancy Pelosi and the Mayor of D.C. to testify as to why they turned down my recommendation on January 3rd of 10,000 to 20,000 troops to stand guard at the Capitol Building on January 6th," Trump's post said.
His comments continued by suggesting the Capitol riot that took place that day would not have happened if Pelosi and Bowser had taken his advice.
"Had they followed this recommendation, there would have been no problem on January 6th!!! They must testify," his post said Thursday.
Trump posted his comments a few hours before the select committee was set to hold its eighth public hearing during prime time. The hearing is expected to review Trump's actions as the riot was taking place.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched a criminal investigation into the destruction of Secret Service text messages related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
The results of this investigation could be referred to federal prosecutors, NBC reports.
🚨NBC News: DHS IG investigation into missing Secret Service text messages is now a criminal probe, two sources familiar tell @JuliaEAinsley @PeteWilliamsNBC Results of the investigation could be referred to federal prosecutors, the sources said, depending on the results.
On Wednesday, the DHS Inspector General sent a letter to the Secret Service asking them to stop the internal investigation into the missing text messages related to Jan. 6, CNN reported.
"To ensure the integrity of our investigation, the USSS must not engage in any further investigative activities regarding the collection and preservation of the evidence referenced above," DHS Deputy Inspector General Gladys Ayala wrote to Secret Service Director James Murray. "This includes immediately refraining from interviewing potential witnesses, collecting devices or taking any other action that would interfere with an ongoing criminal investigation."
This comes after the Secret Service was only able to produce a single text message to the inspector general following a request for a month's worth of records for two dozen Secret Service personnel.
The House Select Committee investigating the events of Jan. 6 sent the Secret Service a subpoena for those messages.
Committee Co-Chairs Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney said they have concerns about a system migration that was said to have resulted in the erasure of Secret Service cell phone data.
This system migration process went into effect on Jan. 27, 2021, three weeks after the attack on the Capitol.
The Secret Service has begun producing records pursuant to the subpoena we issued last week and our investigators are assessing that information. We have concerns about a system migration that we have been told resulted in the erasure of Secret Service cell phone data.
"Four House committees had already sought these critical records from the Department of Homeland Security before the records were apparently lost," the representatives said in a joint statement. "Additionally, the procedure for preserving content prior to this purge appears to have been contrary to federal records retention requirements and may represent a possible violation of the Federal Records Act."
"Every effort must be made to retrieve the lost data as well," they added.
In a statement, the Secret Service said in a statement that it has informed the Committee of the DHS inspector General's request "and will conduct a thorough legal review to ensure we are fully cooperative with all oversight efforts and that they do not conflict with each other."
The Committee is expected to hear from Sarah Matthews, the former deputy press secretary under the Trump administration.
Matthews will join former deputy national security adviser Mathew Pottinger as a key witness from Donald Trump's inner circle.
As a part of the press office, Matthews was aware of conversations about what the White House and Trump should say publicly during the Capitol riot. She may testify to the advice of aides close to Trump.
Matthews' testimony is expected to carry a lot of weight before the Committee.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, the former White House director of strategic communications, told the Associated Press that Matthews is a "tried and true Republican."
Matthews was interns on Capitol Hill before being hired as a deputy press secretary for Trump's reelection campaign. Former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany then brought Matthews to the White House.
She worked in the "upper press" area of the West Wing, placing her in closer proximity to the Oval Office than others in her office, according to AP.
Matthews resigned from her position on Jan. 6, 2021.
She issued a statement that day saying she was "deeply disturbed by what I saw today."
Matthews' later called that attack "one of the darkest days in American history."
One year ago, we as a country experienced one of the darkest days in American history. Today, may we honor the lives lost as a result of January 6th, and may we reflect on the heroic actions of those who bravely protected the U.S. Capitol from a violent mob… (1/4)
"Make no mistake, the events on the 6th were a coup attempt, a term we'd use had they happened in any other country, and former President Trump failed to meet the moment," she tweeted.
Matthews also tweeted out her support for Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, when she testified before the Committee last month.
"Just want to say how much admiration I have for the tremendous bravery Cassidy Hutchinson is displaying," she said in a tweet. "Even in the face of harassment and threats, she is choosing to put her country first and tell the truth."
"This is what real courage, integrity, and patriotism looks like," she added.
Anyone downplaying Cassidy Hutchinson’s role or her access in the West Wing either doesn’t understand how the Trump WH worked or is attempting to discredit her because they’re scared of how damning this testimony is.
More than half of Americans place blame on former President Donald Trump for the riot at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, according to a new NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist poll.
The poll found 57 percent of Americans "say former President Donald Trump deserves, at least, a good amount of the blame" for the events on January 6, a four percent increase from polling results collected six months ago.
The latest poll was conducted among 1,160 American adults between July 11 and 17. Its results were released Thursday morning, several hours before the House Jan. 6 Committee's eighth public hearing was due to begin.
While 50 percent of Americans told pollsters they believe Trump "should be charged with crimes based on the evidence" the select committee has presented in its public hearings thus far, 61 percent of respondents said they don't believe he will face charges.
Thirty-eight percent of Americans continue to have a "favorable opinion" of the former president, who "remains popular" with about 83 percent of Republicans, the poll said.
Mark Meadows was seen walking in Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Hill neighborhood Thursday morning, several hours before the House Jan. 6 Committee's eighth public hearing was scheduled to begin.
Meadows, who worked as the White House chief of staff under former President Donald Trump, has thus far refused to testify before the select committee.
Meadows was walking away from the Capitol Hill Club, which is located a couple of blocks south of the U.S. Capitol Building, when reporters saw him on the street. He declined to answer questions about the select committee's investigation or Trump's future campaign plans, according to CNN reporter Annie Grayer.
Mark Meadows was seen leaving Capitol Hill Club this am. He wouldn’t answer any questions from me or @haleytalbotnbc about the investigation into the January 6 attack or Donald Trump’s next potential presidential bid. pic.twitter.com/mCLxpQgCpU
Haley Talbot of NBC News posted a video of Meadows walking along as reporters peppered him with questions. He ignored most of their queries and declined to comment on others.
When asked if he has spoken with his former aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, since she testified before the committee last month, Meadows told the reporters, "I don't comment on anything on January 6th, guys."
"I appreciate the job you're doing," he added.
The reporters continued following Meadows and asking him questions. He didn't respond when asked whether he's been in touch with members of Congress who requested pardons after the Capitol riot, if he is cooperating with the committee or if he believes Trump committed a crime.
When asked about a possible campaign announcement from his former boss, Meadows said, "The president's opinions obviously speak for themselves." He declined to comment on whether he'd work with Trump again.
MEADOWS spotted on Capitol Hill cc amazing @AnnieGrayerCNN pic.twitter.com/W6DOARfpEy
Steve Bannon will not testify in his contempt of Congress trial.
Bannon went to trial for ignoring a Congressional subpoena from the House Select Committee investigating the events of Jan. 6.
Bannon's team told the judge Thursday that it will not present a case to the jury. There will be no witnesses called, no evidence presented and no testimony from Bannon himself.
The defense is not required to present a case because the burden is on the Justice Department to prove its charges. The trial will go straight to closing arguments and jury instructions.
Bannon's team began the day by filing a motion for acquittal, asking the judge to dismiss this case, according to pool reports from inside the courtroom.
"It's abundantly clear that there was no evidence presented that the defendant is guilty," Bannon's attorney Evan Corcoran said, before the jury came into the courtroom.
He added that "no reasonable juror could conclude that Mr. Bannon refused to comply."
The defense argued Wednesday that the deadline to appear before the committee was flexible.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Vaughn said the government did present sufficient evidence. She added that the dates to comply were clearly stated on the subpoena.
"The committee made clear in its letters to the defendant that those were the dates and they had violated them," she said.
Judge Carl Nichols reserved judgement on the motion, saying he was still concerned about the possibility of prejudice to the jury. The judge was concerned the jury heard the defense announcing its plans to seek a dismissal.
Bannon served as former President Donald Trump's strategist and close adviser. The House Committee is investigating his alleged involvement in the Capitol riots on Jan. 6.
In November, Bannon was indicted on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with the subpoena. Bannon pleaded not guilty to the charges. He faces a minimum of 30 days in jail if found guilty.
Former President Donald Trump "just watched" the riot as it unfolded at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, according to former U.S. Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell.
Gonell tweeted Thursday morning about Trump's actions on that day ahead of the House Jan. 6 Committee's eighth public hearing, which is expected to focus on what Trump did during the riot.
"Today we will learn how bigly our mightiest, fearless leader came to the rescue and saved the Capitol," Gonell tweeted in a preview of the select committee's hearing, which is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET. "Oh wait...(sarcasm)," he added.
Today we will learn how bigly our mightiest, fearless leader came to the rescue and saved the Capitol. Oh wait…(sarcasm).
"By oath, He had a duty to act," Gonell tweeted a couple of minutes later. "He didn't act. Dereliction of duty."
By oath, He had a duty to act. He didn’t act. Dereliction of duty.
Gonell later shared a link to an opinion article written by retired generals and admirals that The New York Times published Thursday morning. The article declared the former president's actions on January 6 a "dereliction of duty."
While we were fight for our lives and to protect the Capitol…he was watching tv. The Oath breaker just watched. https://t.co/Lsi4nWDDFt
Gonell was at the Capitol on the day of the riot. He suffered injuries that day that have left him unable to continue his work with the U.S. Capitol Police.
In a message accompanying the article link, Gonell wrote that as officers were working to "fight for our lives" and "protect the Capitol," Trump was "watching tv."
"The Oath breaker just watched," Gonell wrote.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said former President Donald Trump will not get any special treatment from the Justice Department.
When asked about the how the Justice Department is weighing the possibility of charges brought against Trump, Garland simply said that "no person is above the law in this country."
Garland dismisses claims that the DOJ could be "accused of playing politics" in taking action against Trump.
"There is nothing in the principles of prosecution and any other factors from preventing us from investigating anyone who is criminally responsible for an attempt to undo a democratic election," he said.
Attorney General Merrick Garland on possibility of charging a former president related to January 6th: "No person is above the law in this country." pic.twitter.com/1GAt7aJRFi
The House Jan. 6 Committee's eighth public hearing is expected to focus on the 187 minutes that passed between former President Donald Trump's speech at the Ellipse on January 6, 2021, and the moment he posted a video on Twitter telling his supporters to "go home."
Earlier hearings have explored the pressure that the select committee says the former president and his allies placed on former Vice President Mike Pence and the U.S. Department of Justice to change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Prior hearings have also reviewed the legal challenges carried out by attorneys with Trump's campaign.
During the select committee's hearing last week, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming said the panel will turn its attention back to the events on the day of the riot at the U.S. Capitol for its eighth hearing.
Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, a Democrat on the select committee, explained a bit more about the panel's plans to detail Trump's "failed leadership" during a press conference earlier this week.
"What we will lay out on Thursday is what was happening during those 187 minutes in the White House," Aguilar said.
"At any point, he could have walked to the press room a couple feet away and called off the rioters," Aguilar added. "The rioters that he knew were armed, that he knew were angry. And yet, he pointed at the Capitol four times and told them to march."
On Thursday, the @January6thCmte will lay out what happened during the 187 minutes in the White House on January 6th. The former President abandoned his oath of office and we are still dealing with the consequences of his actions and inaction today. pic.twitter.com/939VSix7pn
The Jan. 6 Committee will hear from former U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger at today's hearing.
He is expected to testify on what Donald Trump did, and didn't do, as the U.S. Capitol was under siege.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, the former White House Director of Strategic Communications, told the Associated Press that Pottinger has "enormous credibility." She said he is "highly respected in the national security space" and not seen as overtly political.
The Committee previously showed clips from Pottinger's video deposition during a hearing featuring Cassidy Hutchinson in June.
Pottinger resigned from his position in the White House after the events of Jan. 6, 2021.
He said that after reading Trump's tweets attacking Vice President Mike Pence as the riot was underway, he knew he had to go.
"I read that tweet and made a decision at that moment to resign," Pottinger said. "That's where I knew that I was leaving that day once I read that tweet."
Pottinger has long been an advocate for preserving democracy.
Before he was in the White House, Pottinger was a journalist in China before enlisting in the U.S. Marines in 2005 after the invasion of Iraq.
He once wrote an essay saying that "living in China also shows you what a non-democratic country can do to its citizens."
During an interview with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute two years ago, Pottinger said "our form of government is not inevitable."
"It shouldn't be taken for granted," he added. "But it's a form of government very much worth fighting for."
Pottinger was deployed to Iraq as an intelligence officer and later worked in Afghanistan with U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. After Trump was elected, Flynn invited Pottinger to join him in the National Security Council. Pottinger was promoted to deputy national security adviser in 2019 and focused on Asia as Trump took a strong stance towards China.
The House January 6 Committee will hold its eighth public hearing this evening starting at 8 p.m. ET.
The hearing will stream live on the select committee's website and YouTube channel. Major news networks will broadcast the hearing live.
This is the second time the select committee is holding a hearing during prime time. The committee's first public hearing on June 9 also aired in the evening.
Watch the hearing at this link or below.
It is unclear who will chair Thursday's hearing after Chairman Bennie Thompson tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, has instructed the committee to go ahead with the hearing but it is not yet known if he will participate virtually.
Republican Representative Liz Cheney is vice chair and has played a major role in the proceedings so far. She could act as chair in his stead.
Thompson is fully vaccinated and encouraged "each person in America to get vaccinated and continue to follow the guidelines to remain safe."
Panel member Adam Kinzinger has shared clips of testimony from several witnesses about Trump watching TV on Jan. 6.
In the clip, former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany in her deposition said that to her knowledge Trump was "always in the dining room."
What was Donald Trump doing while the Capitol was under siege? Take a look. pic.twitter.com/9mz3P6C4qK
General Keith Kellogg, former national security adviser to then Vice President Mike Pence, and Trump's former executive assistant Molly Michael are also shown saying that Trump was watching TV.
Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, when asked if the violence at the Capitol was visible on TV in the dining room, he replied "yes."
A member of the committee on Wednesday looked ahead to today's hearing...
Democratic Representative Elaine Luria told MSNBC: "This is a dereliction of duty of the president and we're gonna talk in depth about the events that happened - almost minute by minute - in the White House that day.
"We'll use clips of news footage," she went on. "What would he [Trump] have been seeing on Fox News? What would the rest of the country have been seeing? And tie it into the conversations that were had."
"If you were president, wouldn't you just jump into action? Wouldn't you call everyone in your administration, in your cabinet, who could help quell this and monitor the situation carefully?" she added.
Today's hearing will begin a little over 24 hours since Donald Trump, the ex-president at the center of the inquiry, attended the funeral of Ivana, his ex-wife.
Trump was surrounded by his and Ivanka's three children—Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric—daughter Tiffany, current wife Melania and their son, Barron.
Ivana died aged 73 on July 14 as a result of "blunt impact injuries" to the torso, New York City medical examiner's office said. Her death was accidental, it said.
The committee has suggested the Secret Service may have acted unlawfully following claims text messages from January 5 and 6, 2021, had been lost.
Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari received only one text exchange from the Secret Service after requesting a month's data from 24 agents.
But the Secret Service said the messages were erased in an agency-wide system migration—something the panel believes may have violated the Federal Records Act's data preservation procedures.
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has directed the Secret Service to investigate the potential "unauthorized deletion" of text messages and to deliver a report on the matter in 30 days. Secret Service said it will co-operate.
"The Select Committee is seeking additional Secret Service records as well," the January 6 committee tweeted on Wednesday.
The procedure for preserving content prior to this purge appears to have been contrary to federal records retention requirements and may represent a possible violation of the Federal Records Act. The Select Committee is seeking additional Secret Service records as well.
Viewers will be shown never-before-seen footage from Jan. 6, NBC Washington Correspondent Hallie Jackson reports.
Video clips will show outtakes from a speech from President Trump after the attack and members of congress escaping from the Capitol building, she told Today.
The House panel "are looking to lay out the argument that not only did Trump do nothing as the Capitol was overrun but that he liked watching it happen," Jackson said.
The Jan. 6 hearings return to prime time tonight. @HallieJackson is on the story. pic.twitter.com/t0LzB3qkRL
The July 21 hearing will be the eighth live-televised House select committee hearings into Jan. 6—and the second held at prime time.
Here's a very quick recap of what's happened so far:
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