Politics
Ivanka Trump to Testify to House Panel Investigating Jan. 6 Attack
WASHINGTON — Ivanka Trump, former President Donald J. Trump’s eldest daughter, who served as considered one of his senior advisers, plans to testify on Tuesday earlier than the Home committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, based on an individual conversant in the matter.
Ms. Trump was considered one of a number of aides who tried to influence the president to name off the violence that in the end injured greater than 150 law enforcement officials and despatched lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence fleeing for security, based on proof gathered by the committee.
The schedule for her testimony, which was reported earlier by NBC, comes days after her husband, Jared Kushner, who was additionally a high adviser to Mr. Trump, sat for an interview and supplied what one member of the panel described as “priceless” and “useful” info.
“There have been some issues revealed, however we’ll simply share that a bit of later,” Consultant Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the chairman of the committee, mentioned of Mr. Kushner’s testimony.
Ms. Trump and Mr. Kushner are among the many highest-ranking Trump White Home officers to testify earlier than the committee. The interviews have been closed to the general public because the panel conducts its work in secret.
Ms. Trump’s legal professionals have been in talks with the committee since January, when it despatched her a letter requesting voluntary testimony. Within the letter, dated Jan. 20, the committee mentioned it had heard from Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant basic who was Mr. Pence’s nationwide safety adviser. Mr. Kellogg had described Mr. Trump’s refusal to sentence the violence because the mob engulfed the Capitol, regardless of White Home officers — together with Ms. Trump, no less than twice — urging him to take action, the letter mentioned.
Mr. Kellogg testified that the president had rejected entreaties from him in addition to from Mark Meadows, his chief of employees, and Kayleigh McEnany, the White Home press secretary. Mr. Kellogg then appealed to Ms. Trump to intervene.
“She went again in, as a result of Ivanka could be fairly tenacious,” Mr. Kellogg testified.
Mr. Kellogg additionally testified that he and Ms. Trump had witnessed a phone name within the Oval Workplace on the morning of Jan. 6 wherein Mr. Trump pressured Mr. Pence to go together with a plan to throw out electoral votes for Joseph R. Biden Jr. when Congress met to certify the Electoral Faculty outcomes. The decision to Mr. Pence was a part of an effort to invalidate the 2020 election and provides Mr. Trump an opportunity to remain in workplace.
Mr. Kellogg informed the committee that the president had accused Mr. Pence of not being “powerful sufficient” to overturn the election. Ms. Trump then mentioned to Mr. Kellogg, “Mike Pence is an efficient man,” Mr. Kellogg testified.
The committee has interviewed greater than 800 witnesses and plans to interview dozens extra. Mr. Thompson informed reporters on Monday that he had licensed 5 extra subpoenas that day.
Justice Division widens inquiry. Federal prosecutors are mentioned to have considerably widened their Jan. 6 investigation to look at the potential culpability of a broad vary of pro-Trump figures concerned in efforts to overturn the election. The investigation was initially centered on the rioters who had entered the Capitol.
Capitol Riot’s Aftermath: Key Developments
Mr. Thompson mentioned the committee had dominated out a subpoena for Mr. Pence, citing “vital info” it had obtained from two of his aides, Marc Brief and Greg Jacob.
“There received’t be a subpoena,” Mr. Thompson mentioned, including, “We’ve been capable of validate quite a lot of the statements attributed to President Trump and the vice chairman with out his particular testimony.”
“There’s no effort on the a part of the committee to get him to come back in,” he mentioned of Mr. Pence, including: “We initially thought it will be vital, however at this level we all know that folks broke in right here and wished to hold him. We all know that his safety element needed to defend him in an undisclosed location within the Capitol. We all know the individuals who tried to get him to alter his thoughts, in regards to the rely and all of that. So what’s it we want?”
Mr. Thompson additionally indicated that the panel can be prone to name Mr. Trump as a witness.
“I don’t know anything we might ask Donald Trump that the general public doesn’t already know,” Mr. Thompson mentioned. “He ran his mouth for 4 years.”