United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack

United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack was a select committee of the U.S. House of Representatives established to investigate the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Its mandate was to examine the facts, circumstances, and causes of the assault, as well as the influencing factors relating to the 2020 presidential election. The committee conducted an extensive investigation over 18 months, culminating in a final report that presented detailed findings on the events leading to and during the certification of the electoral vote.

Background and formation

The committee was formed following the failure of a prior proposal for an independent, 9/11 Commission-style bipartisan commission, which was blocked by Senate Republicans in May 2021. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi then moved to create a select committee, which was established by House resolution on June 30, 2021. The creation followed the second impeachment of former President Donald Trump for incitement of insurrection, though the Senate had acquitted him. The resolution passed largely along party lines, with only Republicans Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney joining Democratic members in support.

Members and leadership

The committee initially comprised thirteen members, with Bennie Thompson of Mississippi serving as chairman and Liz Cheney of Wyoming as vice chair. Pelosi appointed seven Democrats, including Zoe Lofgren of California and Adam Schiff of Massachusetts, and initially appointed Cheney along with Republican Jim Banks of Indiana. After Pelosi rejected the appointments of Banks and Jim Jordan of Ohio, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy withdrew all his Republican picks. Pelosi then appointed Republican Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, making him and Cheney the only two GOP members. The committee's staff was led by staff director David Buckley, former Inspector General of the CIA.

Investigation and hearings

The committee issued hundreds of subpoenas, interviewed over 1,000 witnesses, and reviewed more than one million documents, including records from the Trump White House, the Secret Service, and phone companies. Its investigation focused on the role of Donald Trump and his allies in attempting to overturn the election, the planning of the January 6 rally, and the spread of election misinformation. The committee held a series of ten televised primetime hearings during the summer of 2022, featuring testimony from figures like Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and officials from the Justice Department and Republican state election administrations.

Final report and findings

The committee released its final 845-page report on December 22, 2022. Its central conclusion was that the Capitol attack was the culmination of a seven-part conspiracy orchestrated by Donald Trump to remain in power illegally. Key findings included that Trump knowingly propagated false claims of 2020 election fraud, unlawfully pressured the Justice Department, Mike Pence, and state officials like Brad Raffensperger of Georgia, and summoned a crowd to Washington, D.C. with the intent to disrupt the certification. The report made 11 recommendations for legislative and institutional reforms, including invoking the Fourteenth Amendment to bar Trump from future office and overhauling the Electoral Count Act.

Reactions and aftermath

The committee's work and final report were praised by Democrats and some legal scholars but widely condemned by Republican leaders, including Kevin McCarthy who labeled it a partisan sham. The Justice Department under Attorney General Merrick Garland was already conducting its own extensive criminal investigation, which later led to indictments against Trump and others. The committee's recommendations contributed to the passage of the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022. Following the 2022 midterm elections and Republican takeover of the House, the committee was dissolved on January 3, 2023, though its records were preserved by the House Clerk. Category:2021 in American politics Category:Select committees of the United States House of Representatives Category:January 6 United States Capitol attack