“The Select Committee continues to receive additional evidence relevant to our investigation into the violence of January 6th and its causes. Following tomorrow’s hearing, we will be holding additional hearings in the coming weeks. We will announce dates and times for those hearings soon,” the spokesperson said.
Initially, the committee was expected to hold its sixth and seventh hearings by the end of June. But after Tuesday’s session, members said they need more time to incorporate new information into their public presentations.
Rep. Adam Schiff told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday afternoon that the January 6 committee is not aiming to provide “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” about what happened during the Capitol riot.
They sure discussed a great deal that had nothing to do with the Capitol event and much to do with the alleged “fake elector plot”. Here’s an interview of liberal CNN.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN: So, your panel laid out some pretty stunning evidence today from stalwart conservative Republicans, in addition to the election workers. In your view, how much, if any, of what we heard today reaches a threshold of actual criminality?
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Well, again, look, I have said for some time that I agreed with David Carter, the federal judge in California, that this plot to overturn the election likely violated multiple federal laws.
Now, it’s one thing to say there’s enough evidence to begin an investigation. It’s another thing to say, is there proof beyond a reasonable doubt? And that latter judgment is going to be one for the Department of Justice to make.
But I do think that these issues have to be investigated by the department. Some of them — obviously, those who broke into the Capitol are under investigation and prosecution, but the plot went beyond those that were in the Capitol that day.
And I do think those allegations merit investigation by the department.
TAPPER: Today, we heard a lot about the scheme to have states submit slates of fraudulent electors.
And I suppose the hope was that Vice President Pence — or, somehow, the confusion would allow Pence or the Congress to throw this back to the states, and thus allowing Trump to hold onto power.
We finally heard of Donald Trump’s involvement in the scheme, direct involvement, and we heard this from the Republican National Committee chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel. She testified about that call in which Donald Trump was involved.
I want to play that for our viewers. (Transcript)
RONNA MCDANIEL, CHAIR, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: He turned the call over to Mr. Eastman, who then proceeded to talk about the importance of the RNC helping the campaign gather these contingent electors in case any of the legal challenges that were ongoing changed the result of any of the states, I think more just helping them reach out and assemble them.
But the — my understanding is, the campaign did take the lead, and we just were helping them in that — in that role.
TAPPER: What is the significance, if any, of the fact that Trump initiated that call with the RNC chair?
SCHIFF: Well, look, we — he was initiating that call to give the imprimatur of his support, his weight behind what was being asked of this head of the Republican National Committee.
Likewise, this is why he’s on the call with Rudy Giuliani to the Arizona speaker of the House of Representatives, because this is Donald Trump’s request, that the speaker of the House, a fellow Republican, in the absence of any proof, call the legislature back into session, decertify the Biden electors, and appoint some illegitimate electors for Donald Trump.
And, likewise, here he is meeting with his own attorney general, being told that these claims he is making are B.S., but he’s out there continuing to make these fraud claims that underlay the whole scheme.
So, look, this was his plot. And I think we demonstrated today his key involvement at different points along the way.
TAPPER: Is that illegal? Is it a crime to submit fraudulent slates of electors?
SCHIFF: Well, this will be ultimately up for the Justice Department to decide.
Our job is really to expose what went on, to prescribe legislative remedies to protect the country going forward. But those kinds of calls will have to be made by the Department of Justice.
TAPPER: I understand the — I understand the decision to prosecute is up to the Department of Justice.
But you used to work in the U.S. attorney’s office in California. You’re a former assistant U.S. attorney. You have an idea of what laws might be involved. Without saying whether or not somebody should be prosecuted, is that potentially a crime? I’m not a lawyer. Help me out here.
SCHIFF: Well, look, I think the broader plot to overturn the election, of which this was a part, likely violated multiple federal laws, as Judge Carter held.
And I think it needs to be investigated, not just by the Congress, but by the Justice Department. But, again, I’m not prepared to reach a conclusion about what the Justice Department ought to do in terms of whether they prove beyond a reasonable doubt of all the elements of a particular crime.
But I do think it needs to be investigated, not just by the Congress.
Here we go again.