House Democratic leaders announced plans to reconvene the Jan. 6 select committee for a hearing marking the fifth anniversary of the Capitol attack, and invited members to provide testimony. The session is also set to examine the Trump administration's impact on elections, according to a "Dear Colleague" letter from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
"At the hearing, we will examine ongoing threats to free and fair elections posed by an out-of-control Trump administration, expose the election deniers who hold high-level positions of significance in the executive branch and detail the threats to public safety posed by the hundreds of violent felons who were pardoned on the President's first day in office," Jeffries wrote.
Jeffries also said the hearing will include a panel of members who want to recount their personal experiences from that day, calling specifically for "members who wish to share their personal experiences from that horrific day."
Background
Formed in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, the select committee held a series of high-profile hearings in summer 2022 that presented evidence about contacts and actions by then-President Donald Trump and his advisers in attempts to block certification of the 2020 election. The committee issued a criminal referral for Trump and recommended he face charges under multiple statutes, including allegations related to aiding or inciting the attack.
Political Pushback
The panel remains politically contentious. Critics and some conservative allies of former President Trump have repeatedly sought to discredit the committee. In recent days, attorney Harmeet Dhillon — a prominent conservative activist — posted on social media suggesting the Justice Department might consider legal action against committee members, writing that the department was "working to bring to justice those who weaponized January 6th, 2021."
Pardons, Public Safety And The Hearing Focus
Jeffries' letter likewise called attention to pardons and commutations tied to Jan. 6 defendants. In his message he warned about the public-safety implications of broad clemency for people charged in the Capitol breach and cited concerns that some individuals charged in connection with the attack have been implicated in other crimes.
"On day one of his second term, President Trump issued blanket pardons and commutations to the nearly 1,600 individuals charged in connection with the January 6th attack, including hundreds of violent felons who brutally assaulted law enforcement officers," Jeffries wrote, noting that several of those individuals have been charged with new crimes.
The planned hearing is expected to combine members' firsthand accounts with a review of ongoing threats to election integrity and public safety. House Democrats say the session will underscore the continued importance of investigating both what happened on Jan. 6 and the policies and actions they say have since endangered free and fair elections.
