US Capitol Riot Hearings Today: 3 Shocking Donald Trump Revelations About Jan. 6 Attack

The Jan. 6 committee's fifth hearing, conducted on Thursday, centered on the pressure campaign launched by then-President Donald Trump to get the Justice Department to assist him in rigging the election.

In a key discovery that illustrates the growing legal risk posed by Trump's allies and maybe Trump himself, the conspiracy was led by a DOJ officer named Jeffrey Clark, whose residence was federal investigators raided on Wednesday. Trump pondered appointing Clark as interim attorney general at one point to forward the scheme, which sparked many resignation threats. Here are some key points from the hearing.

1 . Rep. Liz Cheney Addresses Americans

Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the vice-chair of the GOP investigation committee, delivered a message to the millions of Americans who trusted former President Donald Trump after the panel's fifth hearing. More than a dozen Republicans have testified about what truly transpired in the weeks before Jan. 6, refuting Trump's account of the events, according to Cheney.

Some of the witnesses, including those who may give testimony at upcoming hearings, worked for Trump during his campaign or while he was in office. Others, she claimed, had spent their whole lives as conservative Republicans, USA Today reported.

The identities of Congressmen who requested presidential pardons after January 6 for their role in attempts to reverse the election will be made public, according to Liz Cheney, vice-chair of the panel, after the conclusion of Thursday's session.

2 . Republicans Ask Trump for Pardon

Evidence that certain important members of Trump's conspiracy wanted pardons has been shown to the committee on numerous occasions. John Eastman, a Trump lawyer who requested to be included in "the pardon list," was one of them, it was revealed last week.

Inferred from the email was the existence of a list that appeared to contain additional names. On Thursday, the committee expanded its list by including several House Republicans.

Per The Washington Post, members of Congress asked for pardons days after the attack on the Capitol and the last effort to invalidate the election. Representative Mo Brooks asked for pardons for himself, Representative Gaetz, and others five days after the Capitol attack.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.)
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.)
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)
Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.)

Rep. Scott Perry categorically denied asking for a pardon, calling it "a shameless, soulless lie," while Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to the White House Chief of Staff, claimed that he spoke with her about it. Before Democrats objected, House Republicans attempted to add Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to the committee. Hutchinson claimed that while she was not aware of him requesting a congressional pardon, he had discussed the possibility with the White House.

3 . Coordination Between Trump's Team, Justice Department

The committee also hinted, perhaps for the first time, that there could have been collaborating in the scheming between Trump's legal team and certain Justice Department personnel.

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) revealed an email from veteran Ohio Republican Party official Ken Blackwell from December 28 suggesting that Eastman and former Trump adviser Klukowski, who had just joined the Justice Department, brief Vice President Mike Pence.

Klukowski has already been charged with contributing to the preparation of Clark's draft letter asking the Justice Department to validate Trump's false accusations of election fraud. This would suggest a stronger connection between the DOJ investigation and the Trump legal team.

Donald Trump's Defense on Jan.6 Probe

Per Fox News, the Jan. 6 Committee disclosed at a hearing on Thursday that Trump stated he intended to appoint his lawyer Sidney Powell as a special counsel to look into fabricated allegations that the presidential election was rigged. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who said the offer was made on December 18, released an audio of Powell saying, "He asked me to be a special counsel to address the election issues and to collect evidence."

Powell was involved in discussions with the former president as he attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election, albeit she never ended up becoming a special counsel. A special counsel, according to Kinzinger, would give fake cover for people who would seek to protest the certification of the election, including those who invaded the Capitol on January 6th, if Powell were appointed.

Former President Donald Trump requested the Justice Department to "simply claim the election was corrupt" despite the absence of solid proof of fraud, according to former Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue on Thursday.

Donoghue remarked when being questioned by Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill, at a committee hearing on January 6. Donoghue described a protracted phone conversation between himself, Trump, and former Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen in which he and Rosen thoroughly refuted the president's fraud claims.