Two former White House aides will testify before the House Committee on Jan. 6 Thursday as the panel examines what Donald Trump was doing at the time his supporters stormed Capitol Hill.
Matthew Pottinger, a former deputy national security adviser, and Sarah Matthews, a former Trump press adviser, are expected to testify.
Both resigned from their positions immediately after the January 6, 2021, riot that interrupted Congress’s certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
The two witnesses will join the Committee’s eighth session, possibly the last hearing this summer, devoted to detailing what Trump did, or did not do, for several hours that day as his supporters beat up police officers and erupted into violence at The capitol.
Previous hearings have detailed chaos at the White House and presidential aides begging Trump to demand that rioters return home. But he waited more than three hours to do so, and there are still many unanswered questions about what exactly he was doing and saying as the violence at the federal building unfolded.
Committee lawmakers have said Thursday’s hearing will offer the most compelling evidence yet of Trump’s “dereliction of duty” that day, with witnesses detailing his reluctance to stop the mob “We’ve filled in the blanks,” said Representative Adam Kinzinger, R-Illinois and a member of the Committee. “This is going to open people’s eyes.” “The president did not do much more than watch television happily during this period of time,” he added.
Throughout its investigation, the Committee has uncovered several details about what the former president was doing when a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol. Testimony and documents revealed that those closest to Trump, including his allies in Congress, Fox News hosts and even his own children, tried to persuade him to demobilize the assailants.
Thursday’s hearing comes nearly a week after committee members received a closed report from the Department of Homeland Security’s watchdog and after it was discovered that the Secret Service had deleted text messages sent and received around of January 6.
The deadline for the Secret Service to honor that request is today, Tuesday. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said the Secret Service told them she will turn over the records as required by the subpoena.
