Why it matters: The committee remains laser-focused on Trump and anything he may have done to encourage or prolong the attack on Capitol Hill. He has amassed a mountain of transcripts and other evidence that could be used in federal prosecutions. Audition 8 – Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, and possibly the summer finale — is intended to show that Trump was derelict in his duty as commander-in-chief, failing to clear the mob during the attack and even lighting the flames.
The committee will try to argue that Trump wanted to overturn the election by any means necessary. Committee members previewed the theme on Sunday’s broadcasts.
The big picture: The Justice Department recently expanded its investigation into the Jan. 6 attack, targeting some of Trump’s allies in Washington and around the country, the AP reports.
However, prosecutors have not indicated whether they will bring charges against Trump.
What we’re hearing: Look for the committee to continue its strategy of fleshing out the facts through the testimony of people who are or were Trump allies. What we’re watching: This is the last scheduled committee hearing. A final report is targeted this fall. But committee members say the evidence continues to come in and say future hearings are likely. What’s next: In an emerging line of inquiry, the committee on Friday announced a subpoena for United States Secret Service records.
“The Select Committee has been informed that the USSS deleted text messages from January 5 and 6, 2021 as part of a ‘device replacement program,’” Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) wrote to Secret Service Director James Murray (who announced on July 7 that he will retire on July 30). The letter quotes a statement from the Secret Service saying it “began to reset its cell phones to factory settings as part of a pre-planned, three-month system migration. In the process, data residing on some phones was lost.”
In a statement Thursday in response to a finding by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, the Secret Service said, “The suggestion that the Secret Service deleted malicious text messages upon request is false.” Go deeper: See the committee’s 2-page letter to the Secret Service
