Police release tear gas at a crowd of pro-Trump protesters during clashes at a rally to contest certification of the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election by the U.S. Congress, in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, January 6, 2021.
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters
WASHINGTON – The House committee investigating the assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6 demanded records related to at least 30 members of former President Donald Trump’s inner circle on Wednesday.
The lawsuit is part of a request for formal records that includes archived communications from Trump’s White House and seven other executive branch agencies.
In a statement accompanying the letters on Wednesday, the Selection Committee said it wanted information related to:
- the collection and dissemination of intelligence before the attack
- security preparations around the Capitol
- the role of agencies in defending the Capitol
- event planning and organization in Washington on January 5th and 6th
- as the events of January 6 “fit into the continuation of efforts to subvert the rule of law, nullify the results of the elections of November 3, 2020, or otherwise impede the peaceful transfer of power.”
The letters, signed by the representative of the Select Committee Chair, Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Were given to the addressees until September 9 to meet the demands of the committee. The committee has been granted subpoena powers, so agencies that fail to meet the deadline will likely receive subpoenas for information.
The longest of the eight letters is addressed to the National Archives and Records Administration, the agency that maintains White House communications records.
Four of the letters are addressed to leaders of the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice and Home Affairs. Three letters are addressed to the directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Counter-Terrorism Center and the office of the director of national intelligence.
Records compiled by Thompson’s bipartisan committee deal with the weeks leading up to the deadly assault, as well as what happened that day, when thousands of violent Trump supporters overtook Capitol police in a failed attempt to stop the Senate to certify victory for President Joe Biden. in the 2020 presidential election.
Together they represent a new phase in the committee’s investigation, which could bring to light information that the former chairman would prefer to keep secret.
From the beginning, Trump has been hesitant in his approach to the attack. Under pressure from his aides, he publicly distanced himself from the riot, which left 5 people dead and shocked millions of Americans.
But in private, Trump supported riot police, first refusing to call them off for hours during the attack itself, and since then, offering them veiled praise. In one case, Trump has painted riot police Ashli Babbitt, who was killed by a Capitol police officer while trying to enter the speaker’s lobby through a broken window, as a heroine.
Capitol police investigated the shooting and determined that it was a justified use of force in the performance of duty. The agent, who has not been publicly identified, will sit down for an exclusive interview Wednesday night with NBC News’ Lester Holt.