Americans need answers.
As the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack crafts a compelling case that former President Donald Trump initiated a mob attempt to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 Presidential election results, plenty of gaps remain.
Despite many former Trump aides, family members, and Cabinet officials cooperating with the panel’s probe, giving damning testimony in the process, the narrative that investigators are creating still has glaring gaps at the start of another week of public hearings.
Most of these voids have been created by those closest to Trump, who have refused to cooperate with the select committee’s investigation, including figures like Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows and Republican lawmakers Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Jim Jordan (Ohio), Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), Scott Perry (Pa.), and Mo Brooks (Ala.).
All of those who’ve refused to cooperate have critical insight into Trump’s actions and thinking surrounding Jan. 6. Many who aren’t cooperating have also downplayed the Capitol attack, with McCarthy stating earlier this month that “Speaker Pelosi’s Select Committee on January 6 is the most political and least legitimate committee in American history.”
Despite the lack of cooperation from the GOP, the committee promises it will be delivering new details about Trump’s attempts to remain in power irrespective of a lack of evidence.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the committee, has also expressed hope that the most recent public hearing would get holdouts to reach out to the panel.
Thompson stated, “We are able to present this information because so many witnesses have cooperated with our probe. But the fact is there are more people with direct knowledge, with evidence germane to our investigation. I ask those who might be on the fence about cooperating to reach out to us.”
