Jan. 6 committee postpones hearing because of Hurricane Ian

(WASHINGTON) — The House Jan. 6 committee scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed because of Hurricane Ian.

The storm is expected to make landfall in Florida at about the same time as the hearing was to take place.

“In light of Hurricane Ian bearing down on parts of Florida, we have decided to postpone tomorrow’s proceedings,” Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Vice Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. ‘We’re praying for the safety of all those in the storm’s path. The Select Committee’s investigation goes forward and we will soon announce a date for the postponed proceedings.”

Rep. Stephanie Murphy, a Democratic member of the panel, represents Florida’s 7th Congressional District.

The committee was set to reconvene Wednesday after a two-month hiatus for a midday hearing.

But the rapid advancement of Hurricane Ian is now dominating airwaves, with the storm currently a Category 3 hurricane and expected to grow stronger.

Thompson previously told reporters that the committee would be airing “substantial footage” and “significant witness testimony” but didn’t give any more details on what the public can expect to see or what the focus of the hearing would be.

Lawmakers held eight televised hearings from June to July detailing what they described as former President Donald Trump’s “sophisticated” efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, which they said led to the events that took place on Jan. 6, 2021.

The hearings, two of which were held in prime-time, were produced to capture the public’s attention more than a year and half after the riot.

At the last hearing on July 21, the committee focused on the 187 minutes that passed between Trump’s speech at the Ellipse and his taped statement later that afternoon telling rioters to leave the Capitol. Using testimony from former White House officials, the committee said Trump resisted pressure to act as he watched the violence unfold on television.

“President Trump did not fail to act during the 187 minutes between leaving the Ellipse and telling the mob to go home,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said. “He chose not to act.”

Since then, the committee has requested information from several people with ties to election denialism and Trump, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has agreed to a voluntary interview with the committee, her attorney confirmed last week.

There’s also the looming question of whether the committee will call former Vice President Mike Pence to testify before it wraps up the investigation.

Cheney told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl that she hopes Pence will speak with lawmakers. The former vice president said he’d consider testifying if asked, but then implied that there could be constitutional constraints to any potential appearance.

Cheney also told Karl that she expects transcripts, records and other materials gathered by the committee over the course of its probe to be made public.

Wednesday’s hearing was anticipated to be the last before the committee releases a final report of its findings and recommendations by the end of the year.

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