Jan. 6 House panel wants ‘interim’ findings released by the summer: report

The House Select Committee says that they plan to release their interim findings on the January 6, 2021 riot sometime during the summer of 2022.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is hoping to release an interim report on its findings this coming summer, according to a new report. 

Committee aides familiar with the timeline told the Washington Post that the panel is discussing having public hearings in the winter and spring, followed by the release of the interim report. A final report is expected to be put out before the 2022 midterms. 

“I think we may issue a couple reports and I would hope for a [full] interim report in the summer, with the eye towards maybe another — I don’t know if it’d be final or another interim report later in the fall,” a senior committee aide told the outlet. 

“We want to tell it from start to finish over a series of weeks, where we can bring out the best witnesses in a way that makes the most sense,” another senior committee aide added to the outlet. “Our legacy piece and final product will be the select committee’s report.”

The face of former President Donald Trump appears on large screens as supporters participate in a rally in Washington, DC, hours before the riot broke out at the US Capitol.

AP Photo/John Minchillo, File

Publicly, the committee has avoided giving a specific timeline for hearings and reports. 

Earlier this month, committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told CNN that they “don’t have a specific date” for when hearings will begin. 

“But we’ll have some rolling hearings that will go on a good bit. It will be a non-traditional type of hearing,” he added. 

Security forces draw their guns as rioters try to break into the House chamber on Jan. 6, 2021.

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Another committee aide told CNN that the timeframe of the release of the potential reports is subject to change.

Much of the panel’s investigation has been done privately, with the exception of one public hearing earlier this year that featured testimony from multiple officers who protected the Capitol on the day of the riot. 

The committee has subpoenaed several allies of former President Donald Trump for documents, communications and testimony about events before, during and after that day. Many, including ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, have refused to comply with the panel’s request, citing their Fifth Amendment rights. 

Capitol Police hold rioters at gunpoint near the House chamber on Jan. 6, 2021.

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Last week, the committee requested Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) meet with them to discuss his conversation with Trump on Jan. 6. 

Jordan is the second lawmaker the committee has requested information from — the first being Freedom Caucus Chairman-elect Scott Perry (R-Pa.). Perry declined the panel’s request, leading the committee to say it is not ruling out “seeking such information using other tools.”

While several Trump allies have been threatened with contempt of Congress charges, only one — former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon — has been indicted. Last month, Bannon was charged with two counts of contempt of Congress after he refused to produce documents or give testimony.

Much of the House committee’s investigation has been done privately, with the exception of one public hearing earlier this year that featured testimony from multiple officers who protected the Capitol.

Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Trump has repeatedly slammed the investigation and is attempting to claim executive privilege over several of the documents and communications requested by the committee. 

On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that the committee had agreed to hold off its effort to get its hands on some Trump administration records at the request of the Biden White House.