WASHINGTON — The Jan. 6 committee members revealed at the end of Tuesday’s hearing that they are concerned that allies of former President Donald Trump are trying to intimidate witnesses who are working with the House special panel.
“Most people know that attempts to influence witnesses to testify falsely raise very serious concerns. We will discuss these issues as a committee and carefully consider our next steps,” Representative Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. the end of the meeting. to belong.
Cheney, the highest-ranking Republican on the panel, said the committee regularly asks witnesses if they have been approached by former Trump administration or campaign officials “trying to influence or influence their testimony.”
The commission has already made criminal recommendations for people who refused to comply with subpoenas. federal law prohibits obstruction of a congressional investigation or intimidation of witnesses.
Cheney said the panel found at least two examples of possible witness harassment.
The first was a phone call that a witness from Jan. 6 described being received and Cheney read out a description of, “What they said to me is that as long as I remain a team player, they know I’m on the team, I’m on the team.” do the right thing i protect who i have to protect you know i stay in good graces in trump world.
“And they reminded me a few times that Trump reads transcripts and to keep that in mind as I went through my statements and interviews with the committee.”
A second witness, according to Cheney, also received a call for his or her statement: Someone “let me know you have your statement tomorrow. He wants me to let you know that he is thinking of you. He knows that you are loyal and that you will do the right thing if you go for your impeachment.”
The allegations of possible witness tampering prompted a former top Trump official to tweet that it could pose a “serious problem” for Trump.
“The press is going to focus on some sensational revelations starting today: guns, grabbing a Secret Service agent, etc. But the real bomb that fell was the implicit charge of witness tampering,” said Mick Mulvaney, former acting chief of staff. from Trump. tweeted†
“If there’s hard evidence, that’s a serious problem for the former president.”
In its years of investigation, the Jan. 6 panel has interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses and received more than 140,000 documents, and it is following up on 471 tips received through its tip line.