Jan 6 hearing – live: Trump ‘selfishly’ sat and watched riot on TV for 187 minutes as aides ‘begged’ to end it
The eighth of the 6 January committee’s hearings is underway with a focus on Donald Trump’s refusal to call off the mob of supporters who violently attacked Congress.
Alongside the details of Mr Trump’s inaction during the attack on Congress, the panel will reportedly screen outtakes from a speech the then-president gave on 7 January, and two administration staffers who resigned after the Capitol riot will be testifying in person.
The select committee has not confirmed whether this will be its last hearing. The schedule has changed repeatedly since the hearings began earlier in the summer, and the panel’s members say they have received a deluge of new evidence and witnesses as their sessions have continued.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have rested their case against far-right agitator and Trump ally Steve Bannon, who is in court facing a charge of criminal contempt of Congress. The Department of Justice argues he simply “decided he was above the law” when refusing to comply with a subpoena from the 6 January select committee.
In other news, former first lady Melania Trump has lashed out at her former chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, claiming she was not informed about the Capitol riot.
