A House select committee on Tuesday holds its first public hearing into the Jan, 6 insurrection, with testimony from four police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol from rioters.
SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:
The House special committee investigating the January 6 insurrection will hold its first meeting today. They'll hear from four police officers who defended the Capitol that day. Florida Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy is one of the committee's seven Democrats.
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STEPHANIE MURPHY: I think that the law enforcement officers who sacrificed their physical well-being to keep members of Congress safe on January 6 deserve to have a platform to share their perspectives of what they saw on the very front lines of the attack on the Capitol.
MCCAMMON: The nine-member panel is moving forward without any Republicans appointed by House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy. NPR congressional reporter Claudia Grisales has been following this story, and she joins us now. Good morning, Claudia.
CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE: Good morning, Sarah.
MCCAMMON: So what are we expecting to hear from these officers today?
GRISALES: We will hear from those officers you mentioned. That's Harry Dunn and Aquilino Gonell of Capitol Police, plus two officers with the D.C. Metropolitan Police, Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges. Fanone and Hodges, for example, are two officers we've seen in some of the dramatic footage from that day. But we'll also hear new evidence in the form of new videos and witness statements. California Democrat Adam Schiff, another committee member, talked to reporters about this. Let's take a listen.
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ADAM SCHIFF: I think it's going to be quite informative and, emotionally, very powerful.
GRISALES: So we expect one round of questions from this panel of the seven Democrats and two Republicans - that's Wyoming's Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois - all of whom were appointed by Speaker Pelosi. But first, committee Chairman Bennie Thompson will start the hearing with an opening statement followed by Cheney, who will give her opening statement before these officers give their testimony.
MCCAMMON: Meanwhile, GOP leader McCarthy says the Republicans he chose for the committee will sit this out today. What are they planning on doing instead?
GRISALES: Right. McCarthy saw two of his picks blocked by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - Representatives Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio. So McCarthy pulled all five of his appointments to the committee. Now McCarthy will join other House GOP leaders and members he wanted on that panel to do their own counterprogramming in the form of a press conference today. I talked to Jordan about this off the House floor last night. Let's take a listen.
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JIM JORDAN: Look; we know what this is about. This is partisan politics, just plain and simple. It's just obvious that's what this is about.
GRISALES: But Democrats are dismissing these efforts. Another committee member - this is Democrat Pete Aguilar - told reporters none of this is a surprise. Let's take a listen.
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PETE AGUILAR: Nobody works harder at playing politics than Kevin McCarthy and House Republicans. So, you know, it's not surprising at all. And so this is what they do. They've tried to discredit the events and whitewash the events of January 6.
GRISALES: But it's possible this committee's efforts eclipse Republicans' boycott and maybe even give the public the impression that they are bipartisan with these two Republicans, Cheney and Kinzinger, already taking part.
MCCAMMON: Yeah, and what about those Republicans who are participating? What role will they play? And what kind of pressure are they under today?
GRISALES: Well, Jordan, when he spoke to me, went to reiterate a point McCarthy made yesterday. He called Cheney and Kinzinger, quote, "Pelosi Republicans." And actually, Jordan laughingly said there are no Republicans on this panel. So they face tremendous pressure, and it's still not clear what fallout they could face from their own party. And that's a threat, but at the same time, they believe they're upholding their oath to the Constitution and the rule of law.
MCCAMMON: And this is just the first day for this committee, as we've said. Where do they plan to go from here? And what's their game plan?
GRISALES: This panel has subpoena power, and Schiff told reporters they are outlining the scope of this probe with a focus on getting documents from relevant agencies and also to identify which witnesses they need to hear from, such as former Trump administration officials, and what order to call them in. Schiff signaled he's optimistic about hearing from these witnesses, since the committee can rely on a Justice Department under a President Biden administration if they need help, as opposed to the obstacles they faced with that same agency under former President Trump. Among their areas of focus - a look at intelligence that was or was not shared from that day, the role of white nationalist groups, what these Trump administration officials knew or did not know and why it took so long to secure the Capitol that day.
MCCAMMON: NPR congressional reporter Claudia Grisales. Thanks so much.
GRISALES: Thank you.
MCCAMMON: And NPR will have live Special Coverage of today's hearing beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern Time.
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