Jan. 6 committee probing 7.5 hour gap in White House phone logs

The Home Jan. 6 committee is investigating greater than seven-and-a-half hours of lacking White Home cellphone logs through the Capitol riot final yr. 

Fox Information confirmed Tuesday that the Jan. 6 committee is probing a spot of seven hours and 37 minutes in White Home cellphone logs of President Trump’s cellphone calls on Jan. 6, 2021.

The hole runs between 11:17 a.m. ET and 6:54 p.m. ET on Jan. 6 through the coronary heart of the Capitol riot. The log concern was first reported by The Washington Submit and CBS Information.

FEDERAL JUDGE SAYS TRUMP ‘LIKELY VIOLATED’ FEDERAL OBSTRUCTION STATUTE 

The Division of Justice declined to remark to Fox Information on the precise cellphone log hole. 

“Let’s be very clear, we’re going to proceed to do these instances,” U.S. Deputy Lawyer Basic Lisa Monaco mentioned Monday. “We’re going to maintain these perpetrators accountable, irrespective of the place the details lead us at because the Lawyer Basic has mentioned, it doesn’t matter what stage we are going to do these instances.”

In the course of the lacking hours, Trump attended a rally and spoke on the Ellipse, a 52-acre park south of the White Home fence. A crowd of individuals then moved to the U.S. Capitol, overwhelming police and marauded by the constructing for hours earlier than they have been lastly kicked out and the constructing was declared safe at about 5:30 p.m. Greater than 700 individuals have been arrested. 

The information comes a day after the Jan. 6 committee adopted a report Monday recommending that the Home of Representatives cite Daniel Scavino, Jr., and Peter Navarro for prison contempt of Congress. 

Each males labored within the White Home as advisers to former President Trump main as much as the Jan. 6 riot and have dodged subpoenas for information and testimony, arguing that info is protected below government privilege, a precept that usually applies to a president and his closest aides to ensure delicate conversations keep non-public to guard the presidency and U.S. nationwide safety. 

At a choose enterprise assembly Monday, Jan. 6 committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mass., argued that Trump’s former commerce adviser, Navarro, particularly has “stonewalled” the committee’s work by rejecting subpoenas whereas regardless of sharing related particulars on TV and podcasts and in his personal ebook and that President Biden mentioned government privilege should not forestall both man from cooperating with the choose committee. 

“They’re not fooling anyone. They’re obligated to adjust to our investigation. They’ve refused to take action. And that’s a criminal offense,” Thompson mentioned. 

The assembly got here after United States District Courtroom Decide David Carter mentioned Monday that Trump “possible” violated a federal obstruction statute as a part of a ruling within the case of John Eastman, former legislation college dean at Chapman College, whose emails are being sought by the choose committee. 

The committee subpoenaed Scavino, Trump’s former deputy chief of employees for communications, for info on his proximity to Trump on the day of the riot, conversations about difficult the election outcomes and any position in planning the rally at The Ellipse. Navarro is accused of selling election fraud claims by working with former White Home strategist Stephen Bannon to delay Congress in certifying Joe Biden’s victory. 

It’s unclear if the Justice Division will pursue expenses if the Home does act on the censure. The DOJ hasn’t acted a contempt report from December for former White Home Chief of Employees Mark Meadows, however Bannon is scheduled to face trial this summer season and may very well be sentenced to as much as two years in jail or fined as much as $200,000 if convicted. Final week, Politico reported {that a} federal decide ordered the DOJ to supply inside information associated to the choice to prosecute Bannon, who maintained that he was legally not required to reply to subpoenas by the Jan. 6 choose committee. 

“Like Mr. Meadows, Mr. Navarro insists that he’s above the legislation and is categorically and completely immune from any congressional subpoena relating to January sixth. We’re conscious of no courtroom, wherever in America, that has ever agreed with this proposition,” choose committee vice chair, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wy., mentioned. “On this context, Mr. Navarro was not performing as a White Home aide advising the president on official issues of coverage.”

“He was performing as a Trump marketing campaign operative planning a political effort to hinder or impede Congress’s constitutional continuing to rely electoral votes,” she added. “The Division of Justice is entrusted with the protection of our Structure. Division management shouldn’t apply any doctrine of immunity which may block Congress from totally uncovering and addressing the causes of the January sixth assault.”

Cheney additionally invoked the Russian invasion of Ukraine in relation to the work of the Jan. 6 committee, saying “Democracy solely survives if residents are keen to defend it.” 

Trump communicated with not less than some lawmakers through the riot. He spoke, for instance, with Home Republican Chief Kevin McCarthy, who requested him to name off the mob, in response to Republican Rep. Jaime Lynn Herrera Beutler of Washington state, who mentioned McCarthy advised her concerning the name. 

She mentioned in a press release, “That’s when, in response to McCarthy, the president mentioned, ‘Nicely, Kevin, I assume these individuals are extra upset concerning the election than you’re.’”

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama additionally mentioned he spoke with the president in that point interval, telling reporters: “I mentioned, ’Mr. President, they’ve taken the vp out. They need me to get off the cellphone. I gotta go.” That decision by Trump apparently first went to Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who then handed the cellphone to Tuberville.

The committee has interviewed greater than 500 witnesses, together with greater than a dozen former Trump White Home employees members, although many have refused to reply some questions by citing government privilege. 

“It’s necessary to notice that even when a President has formally invoked government privilege relating to testimony of a witness—which isn’t the case right here—that witness has the duty to sit down down below oath and assert the privilege query by query,” Thompson mentioned Monday of Navarro and Scavino. “However these witnesses didn’t even trouble to indicate up.”

This can be a creating story. Examine again for updates. The Related Press contributed to this report.