This live video may contain profanity, violence and disturbing scenes. Viewer discretion is advised.The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is holding the first in a series of hearings laying out its initial findings Thursday night, a highly anticipated look at the evidence the panel has been gathering for the last year.The hearing is currently in recess. With the televised hearings, the seven Democrats and two Republicans on the nine-member panel hope to grab the attention of the American public and drive home the sheer violence of that day in 2021, as some have attempted to downplay the attack. And they plan to use the more than 1,000 interviews they have conducted to spotlight people who played pivotal roles in the siege — and to show that it was a deliberate, unprecedented attempt to block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.The committee will sort through the mountain of information it has collected into different hearing topics, from domestic extremism to security failures to what then-President Donald Trump was doing in the White House that day as hundreds of his supporters brutally pushed past police and forced their way into the Capitol.Read live, timestamped updates from tonight’s hearing below:9:00 p.m. ETCommittee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson announced the hearing will go into a 10-minute reccess.8:50 p.m. ETThe committee is now playing never-before-seen footage of the events leading up to and then the eventual storming of the U.S. Capitol. The video contains video may contain profanity, violence and disturbing scenes. Viewer discretion is advised.8:40 p.m. ETCheney read aloud a text message exchange between Fox News personality Sean Hannity and former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany the day after the events of Jan. 6.In the exchange, Hannity gives advice to McEnany on how to handle the fallout, telling her, “No more crazy people,” speaking on behalf of the Trump administration. He added that he believed a second impeachment, which did later happen, and the invoking of the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office was on the table.Read the full text exchange below.8:30 p.m. ETCheney says the committee has evidence that Trump resisted calls to squash the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6.“You will hear that President Trump was yelling, and ‘really angry at advisers who told him he needed to do be doing something more,’” Cheney said. Cheney added that Trump was also aware of the calls from the crowd to ‘hang (Vice President) Mike Pence.’ “And, aware of the rioters’ chants to ‘hang Mike Pence,’ the President responded with this sentiment: ‘maybe our supporters have the right idea.’ Mike Pence ‘deserves’ it,” she said. 8:25 p.m. ETCheney, in her opening remarks, put the blame of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots squarely on the shoulders of Trump. “President Trump summoned the mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” Cheney said. Cheney played video from closed-door interviews with former Attorney General Bill Barr, Trump advisor Jason Miller and the former president’s own daughter, Ivanka Trump, all of whom expressed that they did not believe the election was stolen.8:15 p.m. ETCommittee vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wy., is beginning her opening remarks.8:10 p.m. ETIn his opening remarks, Thompson warned that democracy ‘remains in danger’ from the ‘conspiracy’ that fueled the deadly Capitol riot.Additionally, he played a video from a closed-door interview with Trump’s former attorney, Bill Barr, in which Barr said he told the former president that he did not believe the election was stolen.”I made it clear that I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out this stuff, which I told the president was (expletive),” Barr said. “I didn’t want to be a part of it, and that’s one of the reasons that went into me deciding to leave when I did.”8:00 p.m. ETThe nine-member panel has entered the room, and the hearing has officially begun with committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., gaveling in.7:50 p.m. ETTonight’s primetime hearing is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. The committee’s chair and vice chair, Reps. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Liz Cheney, R-Wy., respectively, are expected to give opening remarks, laying out the purpose and goals of the hearings.CNN is reporting that those who will be watching tonight, along with many Americans, include President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and Attorney General Merrick Garland, who has faced increasing pressure from people in Congress to ramp up the Justice Department’s own criminal investigation into the riots.
This live video may contain profanity, violence and disturbing scenes. Viewer discretion is advised.
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is holding the first in a series of hearings laying out its initial findings Thursday night, a highly anticipated look at the evidence the panel has been gathering for the last year.
Watch the hearing live in the video player above.
With the televised hearings, the seven Democrats and two Republicans on the nine-member panel hope to grab the attention of the American public and drive home the sheer violence of that day in 2021, as some have attempted to downplay the attack. And they plan to use the more than 1,000 interviews they have conducted to spotlight people who played pivotal roles in the siege — and to show that it was a deliberate, unprecedented attempt to block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.
The committee will sort through the mountain of information it has collected into different hearing topics, from domestic extremism to security failures to what then-President Donald Trump was doing in the White House that day as hundreds of his supporters brutally pushed past police and forced their way into the Capitol.
Read live, timestamped updates from tonight’s hearing below:
8:50 p.m. ET
The committee is now playing never-before-seen footage of the events leading up to and then the eventual storming of the U.S. Capitol.
The video contains video may contain profanity, violence and disturbing scenes. Viewer discretion is advised.
8:40 p.m. ET
Cheney read aloud a text message exchange between Fox News personality Sean Hannity and former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany the day after the events of Jan. 6.
In the exchange, Hannity gives advice to McEnany on how to handle the fallout, telling her, “No more crazy people,” speaking on behalf of the Trump administration.
He added that he believed a second impeachment, which did later happen, and the invoking of the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office was on the table.
Read the full text exchange below.
8:30 p.m. ET
Cheney says the committee has evidence that Trump resisted calls to squash the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“You will hear that President Trump was yelling, and [quote] ‘really angry at advisers who told him he needed to do be doing something more,’” Cheney said.
Cheney added that Trump was also aware of the calls from the crowd to ‘hang (Vice President) Mike Pence.’
“And, aware of the rioters’ chants to ‘hang Mike Pence,’ the President responded with this sentiment: [quote] ‘maybe our supporters have the right idea.’ Mike Pence [quote] ‘deserves’ it,” she said.
8:25 p.m. ET
Cheney, in her opening remarks, put the blame of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots squarely on the shoulders of Trump.
“President Trump summoned the mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” Cheney said.
Cheney played video from closed-door interviews with former Attorney General Bill Barr, Trump advisor Jason Miller and the former president’s own daughter, Ivanka Trump, all of whom expressed that they did not believe the election was stolen.
8:15 p.m. ET
Committee vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wy., is beginning her opening remarks.
8:10 p.m. ET
In his opening remarks, Thompson warned that democracy ‘remains in danger’ from the ‘conspiracy’ that fueled the deadly Capitol riot.
Additionally, he played a video from a closed-door interview with Trump’s former attorney, Bill Barr, in which Barr said he told the former president that he did not believe the election was stolen.
“I made it clear that I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out this stuff, which I told the president was (expletive),” Barr said. “I didn’t want to be a part of it, and that’s one of the reasons that went into me deciding to leave when I did.”
8:00 p.m. ET
The nine-member panel has entered the room, and the hearing has officially begun with committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., gaveling in.
7:50 p.m. ET
Tonight’s primetime hearing is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. The committee’s chair and vice chair, Reps. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Liz Cheney, R-Wy., respectively, are expected to give opening remarks, laying out the purpose and goals of the hearings.
CNN is reporting that those who will be watching tonight, along with many Americans, include President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and Attorney General Merrick Garland, who has faced increasing pressure from people in Congress to ramp up the Justice Department’s own criminal investigation into the riots.
