Jan. 6 panel to hold rescheduled hearing next Thursday

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol will hold what could be its final hearing next week.

The hearing, scheduled for Oct. 13 at 1 p.m., comes after the panel delayed one slated for last week as Hurricane Ian prepared to make landfall.

Lawmakers have remained tight-lipped over what is likely to be the panel’s final hearing before the November midterms and have acknowledged the committee is struggling with how to condense what Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) described as an “avalanche” of new information.

In a departure from prior hearings where one or two members were primarily responsible for walking through evidence and witness questions, each member of the panel is expected to have a role next week.

The panel again bypassed the opportunity to seek another prime-time slot in favor of holding an event that would be broadcast on Fox News, which has refused to suspend its evening programming for the committee’s work.

“In the past, Fox News does play our hearings if the hearing is in the daytime,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) said during an appearance on CNN shortly before the hearing was rescheduled. “That’s a factor in reaching an audience that is not watching CNN.”

The committee’s investigative team recently sat with several former Trump Cabinet officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. But Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the committee, said he does not expect discussions surrounding use of the 25th Amendment to bar former President Trump from office to feature heavily in the hearing. 

The event comes as the panel is preparing to release an interim report designed to cover the bulk of what it has learned through its investigation. It still plans to issue a final report before the panel sunsets at the end of the year. 

Updated at 1:12 p.m.