Members of the House select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol hear during the first hearing on Thursday, June 9 in Washington, DC. (Aaron Schwartz / Xinhua via Getty Images)
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign manager Bill Stepien’s early testimony before the House committee on Jan. 6 was unexpectedly changed Monday when Stepien said he could not appear due to a family emergency.
The development is “disturbing” for Monday’s hearing, a source familiar with the committee’s plans said, but the panel has prepared for such contingencies and has video clips of Stepien’s previous testimony at his disposal. .
Monday’s hearing, the second in the House committee on Jan. 6 this month, will focus on Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.
Assistants to the House Select Committee said the audience would scrutinize how Trump accepted false allegations of fraud in the 2020 election and how he decided to declare victory in the hours after the election, even though he was told that the figures did not confirm it.
Assistants said the hearing would show how Trump’s team pursued legal challenges in court and lost those cases, and that Trump chose to ignore the will of the courts and continued to try to overturn the election.
The hearing will also seek to connect Trump’s lies about the election with violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, his attendees said, including how the mutineers echoed the baseless allegations of the ex-president that the elections were being stolen.
Among those expected to testify are Fox digital policy editor Chris Stirewalt, whose decision to call Arizona for Joe Biden on election night infuriated the Trump campaign, and conservative hosts Fox.
A second panel of witnesses testifying Monday includes former U.S. District Attorney for North Georgia BJay Pak, who was pressured to accept Trump’s fraud allegations and resigned; former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, who denied false allegations about election fraud in Philadelphia; and Conservative election lawyer Ben Ginsberg, who is expected to speak on the failed court cases following the Trump team.
Stepien was perhaps the most intriguing witness, as a key member of Trump’s team during the 2020 campaign. He told CNN on Sunday that he had to appear on subpoena.
Here are the key points to note during Monday’s hearing:
Deny Trump’s allegations of fraud
The hearing is scheduled for the second of seven on January 6, as the committee is scheduled to present a case that puts Trump at the center of efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the violence that took place at the Capitol. on January 6th.
Monday’s hearing focuses on election fraud and the committee aims to show the public that Trump’s claims about the 2020 election robbery, which have been accepted by a significant portion of Republicans, including many Republican candidates running in office this year, they are wrong.
More testimonial video
Stepien’s role in the audience, and what he has to say about election fraud, was expected to provide the highlights of Monday. But aides say they also plan to play more videos of closed-door interviews they have conducted with many in Trump’s orbit.
These videos were key to the committee’s opening hearing on Thursday, which showed how the panel was told that many around Trump knew his allegations about election fraud were false.
A more traditional audience
The first hearing had two witnesses: a Capitol police officer and a documentary filmmaker who was with extremist groups on Jan. 6, but his testimony came after a lengthy presentation by committee chairman Benny Thompson and Cheney that summarized the panel’s findings, as well as a lengthy video showing new footage of the violent attack on the Capitol.
Assistants said Monday’s hearing would be a return to a more traditional congressional hearing, with the rest of the commission involved in asking questions and two panels of witnesses.
While Thompson will lead the hearings, California Democrat Zoe Lofgren will play a key role in Monday’s hearing focused on election fraud, his attendees said.
It is a pattern that is likely to continue with other members of the committee at future hearings, which will examine how Trump and his allies tried to pressure the Justice Department, state legislatures and its former vice president, Mike Pence, to help them try. to annul the election, as well as what the committee says is Trump’s role in inciting the Capitol riots and his failure to respond while the violence unfolded.
CNN’s Katelyn Polantz contributed to this report.
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