Jan 6 hearings – latest: Trump speaks to conservative conference as Ginni Thomas agrees to talk to committee

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Jan 6 hearings: Ivanka Trump recalls father’s called Pence ‘a wimp’ in final call

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LIVE – Updated at 19:39

Donald Trump has torn into the 6 January committee over its third public hearing, ranting on Truth Social that he did not order Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election – directly contradicting evidence from multiple witnesses without contesting the main issue at hand.

Bombshell testimony revealed a pressure campaign by Mr Trump and law professor John Eastman to get the former vice president to halt the congressional certification process on 6 January, 2021 and throw the decision to Republican-led states.

The former president is the keynote speaker at a Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Policy Conference in Nashville, Tennessee on Friday, headlining a three-day event featuring right-wing figures and Republican officials and candidates.

The select committee, meanwhile, has requested testimony from Ginni Thomas, the wife of US Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, over texts and emails she sent to Mark Meadows and Mr Eastman in advance of the Capitol riot – and the longtime right-wing activist has said she will oblige.

Key points

Ginni Thomas agrees to talk to riot committee
‘Pouring gasoline on the fire’: Trump knew election plot was illegal but stoked riot that threatened Pence’s life
Mike Pence told Trump ‘many times’ that plan to overturn election was illegal, ex-VP’s aide says
Jan 6 witness knocks down Trump lawyer’s argument to overturn election
Trump White House attorneys called plan to overturn election ‘completely crazy’

Trump has arrived

19:39 , Alex Woodward

The former president is now addressing the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Policy Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, where he is the keynote speaker headlining a three-day event featuring right-wing figures and Republican officials and candidates.

His public remarks come in the middle of bombshell testimony and congressional hearings about his involvement to undermine the outcome of 2020 presidental election and his baseless assertions that the results were “stolen” from him, fuelling violence at the US Capitol from a pro-Trump mob.

John Eastman profile: Who is the author of the “coup memo”?

19:30 , Alex Woodward

Andrew Buncombe has this profile of John Eastman, the law professor whose legal advice to Donald Trump in advance of 6 January was at the core of the effort to overthrow the election result – a plan one judge has described as “a coup in search of a legal theory”.

Read his piece below.

Who is John Eastman and why did he ask Trump for a presidential pardon?

How Oakley came to be accused of ‘fascism’ for selling Thin Blue Line sunglasses

19:15 , Alex Woodward

Among the Trump flags, American flags, Confederate emblems and neo-Nazi and militia insignias at the Capitol on 6 January, 2021 were numerous thin blue line flags. How did the image end up on Oakley sunglasses?

The Independent’s Josh Marcus has this report on the history of the brand, the Blue Lives Matter movement and law enforcement aesthetics.

How Oakley came to be accused of ‘fascism’ for selling Thin Blue Line sunglasses

Ex-Trump adviser Peter Navarro pleads not guilty to contempt of Congress charges

18:52 , Alex Woodward

Former Trump administration trade adviser Peter Navarro has pleaded not guilty to the two counts of criminal contempt of Congress on which he was indicted earlier this month.

The former head of the National Trade Council faces up to two years behind bars should a jury convict him on charges that he refused to honour subpoenas for documents and to appear before the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack.

Ex-Trump adviser Peter Navarro pleads not guilty to contempt of Congress charges

Opinion: What we’ve heard about Trump is beyond the worst-case scenario

18:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Writing for The Independent, Ahmed Baba tries to convey just how serious the evidence laid out by the 6 January committee is.

These hearings are weaving together a story. Trump knew he lost the election, but declared victory anyway. Trump knew his voter fraud claims were false, but continued to radicalize his supporters and litigate them in court anyway. Trump knew that it would’ve been illegal for Pence to overturn the election, and pressured him to do it anyway.

These hearings are clearly outlining that Trump was in no way ignorant of the laws he would go on to violate. This truth should echo in our minds as we read Judge Luttig’s chilling final words that closed out today’s hearing. Luttig claimed that Trump, his allies, and his supporters are a clear and present danger to American democracy — not just because of January 6, but because they will try and overturn the 2024 election as well. Americans should pay attention.

Read his full op-ed below.

What we just heard about Trump and Pence on Jan 6th is beyond the worst-case scenario

Trump to speak at conservative Christian conference

18:12 , Alex Woodward

Trump is due to address the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Policy Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, a three-day event featuring right-wing figures and Republican officials and candidates.

The ex-president is the keynote speaker – earning even praise from Senator Lindsey Graham – while the House committee investigating the Capitol attack fuelled by Trump’s baseless stolen election rhetoric reveals damning testimony from members of his inner circle.

Also speaking today are several members of Congrees, RNC chair Ronna McDaniel and former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Poll: Majority of Americans want Congress to launch ethics investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

17:58 , David Taintor

A new poll finds that a majority of Americans support a congressional ethics investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas over the jurist’s decision not to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election.

The poll, conducted by Hart Research Associates on behalf of Defmand Justice, found that 61 per cent supported the move. The poll comes as the House January 6 committee seeks information from Mr Thomas’s wife, Ginni Thomas, who reportedly made efforts to influence officials to go along with the Trump White House plot to overturn the results of the election.

Girlfriend of dead Capitol officer hits out at Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner

17:30 , Andrew Naughtie

The girlfriend of fallen Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick says that testimonies from Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner that illustrated their failure to stop Donald Trump from inciting a violent mob on January 6 were “absolutely despicable”.

Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper, Sandra Garza explained on Thursday night after the third public hearing of the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot that she was “more moved” by the testimonies she heard from the first prime-time screening, which featured appearances by both Ms Trump and Mr Kushner.

“There were so many people who could’ve intervened and said, you know what, I’m gonna go to the media … I’m gonna scream from the rooftops and try and stop this,” Ms Garza said during her interview on CNN’s The Lead. “They knew Trump intimately. They knew how dangerous he was. And nobody did anything to stop him.”

Johanna Chisholm has the story.

Girlfriend of dead Capitol officer hits out at Ivanka, Jared for not stopping Trump

Analysis: Three new questions for the 6 January committee

16:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Taking stock of the revelations from yesterday’s 6 January committee hearing, Eric Garcia writes that the panel has some tricky territory to navigate – and it doesn’t have much time to chart a course:

Yesterday’s session showed how Mr Trump’s legal team, led by attorney John Eastman, tried to force the vice president to subvert the election results on 6 January and remarked that “there’s been violence in the history of our country to protect the democracy or protect the republic”.

It was a seismic and harrowing hearing, and spelled out Mr Eastman’s machinations in stunning detail. But the committee is now entering new territory: the Department of Justice has criticized the committee for not delivering witness transcripts, and the panel has said it wants Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, to testify.

Read his full analysis below.

Three new questions for the 6 January committee

How serious are Mike Pence’s 2024 plans?

16:00 , Andrew Naughtie

As the 6 January committee yesterday unpacked the chain of events that almost led to his murder at the hands of a radicalised mob, Mike Pence was out on the road campaigning for Ohio governor Mike DeWine, who is seeking re-election this year.

The Wall Street Journal has taken a (paywalled) look at whether the ex-vice president’s political activities really are the groundwork for a 2024 presidential run, as many suspect. Here’s a key quote, in which Mr Pence gives the same kind of vague answer he’s trotted out when asked the question before…

PENCE on a potential 2024 campaign, per @learyreports & @McCormickJohn “I won’t let anybody else make that decision for me.” https://t.co/MFWh0OnUkS pic.twitter.com/1jVuDVjd8r

— Ken Thomas (@KThomasDC) June 17, 2022

Core Trump adviser pleads not guilty to contempt charges

15:18 , Andrew Naughtie

Peter Navarro, the exuberant former economic adviser and Covid-19 denier who played a key role in trafficking “stop the steal” conspiracy theories after the 2020 election, has pleaded not guilty to contempt of Congress charges brought after he refused to comply with a subpoena from the 6 January committee.

Peter Navarro pleads NOT GUILTY to each of the two counts of contempt of Congress for which he has been indicted. https://t.co/4LjDWdNFkX

— Rob Legare (@RobLegare) June 17, 2022

Navarro’s new lawyer asks the court not to set a trial date because of the “novel constitutional issues” presented.

“I think there’s a lot to sort out here.”

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) June 17, 2022

NAVARRO has moved to dismiss his civil lawsuit against the Jan. 6 select committee and the Justice Department, his attorney indicates.

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 17, 2022

Analysis: Why yesterday’s hearing was so significant

15:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Coming off yesterday’s mammoth hearing of the 6 January select committee, Eric Garcia and Andrew Feinberg have this in-depth analysis of why the panel’s third session matters so much. From the devastating debunking of John Eastman’s various legal machinations to the “clear and present danger” that Donald Trump, his allies and his supporters pose to American democracy, they have all the details you need to understand how deep the hearing’s implications really go.

Read their dispatch below.

Trump knew plan for Pence to reject electoral votes was illegal but pushed it anyway

ICYMI: Photo shows Pence watching Trump’s tweet praising rioters

14:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Among the most chilling images shown at yesterday’s Capitol riot hearing is a photograph of Mike Pence in a secure subterranean location somewhere in or around the building during the riot, holding a phone on which is displayed Donald Trump’s video praising the rioters who were then stalking the halls looking for the vice president – some of them with explicitly violent intent.

Gustaf Kilander and John Bowden have the story.

Photo shows Pence in secure location watching Trump’s Jan 6 video praising rioters

Profile: Ginni Thomas, devotee of the ‘Trump cult’

14:00 , Andrew Naughtie

As she finally prepares to talk to the 6 January committee after months of controversy, Ginni Thomas remains a figure of intense fascination because of her long history of conservative activism, her sometimes bizarre statements (in public and private), and her background as a self-described cult survivor.

Bevan Hurley has this profile of Ms Thomas, whom one expert suspects holds a cult-like devotion to Donald Trump.

Dr Hassan says it’s almost impossible to believe that Justice Thomas doesn’t share her beliefs that the election was stolen.

“I think that based on their history, they were always enmeshed,” he said.

“There are people who are puppeteers of Trump, and then there are different cults that are his base. It seems to me that Clarence and Ginni are part of this religious Christian-right group.”

Read the full story:

Expert says Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court justice, is in ‘Trump cult’

“LIES AND MISREPRESENTATIONS”: Trump continues campaign against committee on Truth Social

13:25 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump is awake and “Truthing” on his Twitter simulacrum Truth Social, and he has clearly been triggered by yesterday’s 6 January committee hearing.

It’s worth pointing out that his distinction between overturning the election and sending the certification back to the states is not the point; at issue is whether he and his advisers put pressure on Mike Pence to do the latter, which this post concedes he did. Multiple witnesses yesterday said that that plan was both nonsensical and illegal.

13:00 , Andrew Naughtie

A leading anti-vaccine California doctor was sentenced to two months of imprisonment for storming the US Capitol and delivering a speech to the rioters during the January 6 insurrection.

Simone Gold, a former emergency room physician known for spreading previously debunked claims about Covid-19 vaccines and promoting disproven treatments like ivermectin, pleaded guilty in March to a misdemeanour charge of unlawfully entering a restricted area.

Gold told the court that she regreted entering the Capitol and didn’t intend to get involved in an event that was “so destructive to our nation”.

“It’s the opposite of who I am,” she told US district judge Christopher Cooper.

Namita Singh has the story.

Anti-vaxx doctor sentenced to jail for role in Capitol riots

Ginni Thomas agrees to testify

12:30 , Andrew Naughtie

The pressure to get Ginni Thomas to explain her communications with the Trump team before 6 January will soon be off, as the longtime right-wing activist and 2020 election conspiracy theorist has now said she “looks forward” to testifying, which she views as an opportunity to clear up unspecified “misconceptions”.

Johanna Chisholm has the story.

Ginni Thomas agrees to talk to Jan 6 committee to ‘clear up misconceptions’

Ivanka Trump and others testify about overheard Trump-Pence call

11:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Among the most important figures interviewed by the 6 January committee over the past year is Ivanka Trump, who gave several hours of virtual testimony apparently without acrimony.

She was expected to have crucial insight into her father’s mood during the riot and in the days leading up to it – and based on video of her interview that was shown during yesterday’s hearing, those expectations were correct.

Watch committee witnesses describe pushing back on Eastman’s ideas

11:10 , Andrew Naughtie

One of the main elements of yesterday’s 6 January committee hearing was extensive evidence that multiple members of the Trump administration’s upper echelons, in particular senior legal aides and Mike Pence’s staff, repeatedly conveyed to the president, the vice president and others that John Eastman’s plans for Mr Pence to overturn Joe Biden’s victory were nonsensical and illegal.

Here’s a supercut from the committee pulling some of that evidence together.

Here is what various advisors to President Trump thought about the scheme to overturn the election: pic.twitter.com/v0nIZVvQ9P

— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) June 16, 2022

Read the Jan 6 panel’s letter to Ginni Thomas

10:26 , Andrew Naughtie

The New York Times has obtained the text of the 6 January committee’s letter to Ginni Thomas. Confirming what emerged yesterday, Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney write that “the select committee has obtained evidence that you had certain communications with John Eastman” during the interregnum between the election and the day of the Capitol riot. The letter also asks Ms Thomas to preserve and provide “documents that are relevant” to the investigation.

Read the letter below:

New: Here’s the letter the Jan. 6 committee sent to Ginni Thomas today, obtained by NYT pic.twitter.com/BlOW65y6UX

— Luke Broadwater☀️ (@lukebroadwater) June 17, 2022

Trump was repeatedly told vice president lacked legal authority to overturn 2020 election

09:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

The January 6 committee shared a video clip of Marc Short’s testimony in Thursday’s hearing.

Mr Short was the former vice president Mike Pence’s Chief of Staff who served in the Trump administration in multiple positions over four years.

In his testimony, Mr Short said Mr Trump was told repeatedly that Mr Pence lacked the Constitutional and legal authority to do what Trump demanded he do.

President Trump was told repeatedly that Mike Pence lacked the Constitutional and legal authority to do what Trump demanded he do.

Testimony from Marc Short, the Vice President’s Chief of Staff, who served in the Trump administration in multiple positions over four years: pic.twitter.com/adAR9Fif6u

— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) June 16, 2022

Pence did his job that day, says Rep Pete Aguilar

08:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Committee member Pete Aguilar has said former vice president Mike Pence, who was allegedly pressured by then president Donald Trump to overturn the election results, did his job that day and “acted presidential”.

In an interview with ABC News’s Linsey Davis, Mr

said: “I think Mike Pence stood behind Donald Trump during a lot of times when I would oppose the policies that they advocated.

“I think its important and we need to remind folks that he did his job that day. He acted presidential. He was down in an undisclosed location but he was acting presidential- calling the acting secretary of defence, calling congressional leaders, he was doing the job. While I am frustrated with policies of the Trump-Pence administration, I think it is important to be honest about his role that day.”

In Thursday’s hearing the committee revealed Mr Trump knew he lost the election but “oversaw a scheme” to overturn the result “when the vice president refused to go along with it” and that “he [Mr Trump] unleashed a violent mob against Pence at the Capitol”.

© Provided by The Independent An image of former Vice President Mike Pence on the night of January 6, 2021 is displayed during the third hearing of the US House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Jan 6 hearing – day 3: Trump knew election plot was illegal and egged on riot that threatened Mike Pence’s life

08:00 , Oliver O’Connell

The third public hearing into the Capitol riot heard evidence that Donald Trump was repeatedly told his plan to overturn the election result was illegal, even by the lawyer urging him to do so.

The Independent’s Washington team was on Capitol Hill today for the shocking testimony.

Trump knew plan for Pence to reject electoral votes was illegal but pushed it anyway

YouTube deletes video of January 6 committee hearing, report says

07:45 , Sravasti Dasgupta

YouTube has allegedly deleted a video of former Attorney General William P Barr’s testimony to the January 6 Committee hearing on the grounds that it included a clip of former president Donald Trump sharing lies about the 2020 elections, reported The New York Times.

“The excerpt, which was uploaded June 14, included recorded testimony from former Attorney General William P Barr. But the problem for YouTube was that the video also included a clip of former President Donald J Trump sharing lies about the election on the Fox Business channel,” the report said.

In a statement, YouTube spokesperson Ivy Choi said: “Our election integrity policy prohibits content advancing false claims that widespread fraud, errors or glitches changed the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election, if it does not provide sufficient context.”

The video of the committee’s Thursday hearing is still available on YouTube.

Opinion: What we just heard about Trump, Pence and Giuliani on January 6th was beyond the worst-case scenario

07:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Ahmed Baba writes:

They knew. They all knew.

Today’s hearing focused on Donald Trump, John Eastman, and his allies’ effort to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the results of the 2020 election on January 6. According to testimony, key players in Trump’s inner circle — including Trump and Eastman themselves — knew that Pence overturning the election would be illegal, but pushed him to do it anyway. In other words, they knowingly launched an illegal attempted coup.

What we just heard about Trump and Pence on Jan 6th is beyond the worst-case scenario

Anti-vaxx doctor Simone Gold sentenced for role in Capitol riots

07:15 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Simone Gold, a leading anti-vaccine California doctor, was sentenced to two months of imprisonment for storming the US Capitol and delivering a speech to the rioters during the January 6 insurrection.

Gold told the court that she regretted entering the Capitol and didn’t intend to get involved in an event that was “so destructive to our nation”.

“It’s the opposite of who I am,” she told US district judge Christopher Cooper.

Namita Singh reports:

Anti-vaxx doctor sentenced to jail for role in Capitol riots

‘The Costanza defence’: Trump’s Jan 6 arguments likened to ‘Seinfeld’ joke

07:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has been accused of using the “Constanza Defence,” a reference to an episode of the classic sitcom Seinfeld, to justify his false claims about the 2020 presidential election.

In a Tuesday episode of MSNBC’s The Beat, host Ari Melber said the former president seemed to be copying a line of logic from Seinfeld character George Constanza, who says in one episode, “Remember, it’s not a lie if you believe it.”

Josh Marcus reports:

Trump’s Jan 6 arguments dubbed ‘the Costanza defence’ after ‘Seinfeld’ joke

‘Pouring gasoline on the fire’: Trump knew election plot was illegal

06:45 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Video depositions made public by the House select committee revealed on Thursday that Donald Trump knew the plan to have his vice president commandeer the 6 January session of Congress and declare Republicans the winners of the election was illegal.

Ivanka Trump, the former president’s daughter-turned-senior-adviser, recalled how she heard Mr Trump on the phone telling Mr Pence: “You are a wimp, you’ll be a wimp.”

Shortly after the call, Mr Trump posted a tweet in which he said Mr Pence “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify”.

A former White House aide told the January 6 committee that the tweet was like “pouring gasoline on the fire” as rioters starting chants of “hang Mike Pence” and calling for Mr Pence to be brought out from the Capitol.

Trump knew plan for Pence to reject electoral votes was illegal but pushed it anyway

Who is John Eastman?

06:20 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Conservative attorney John Eastman has been at the centre of this week’s House Select Committee on the January 6 hearing.

The hearing has heard lots about Mr Eastman and his opinions, and how he and then president Donald Trump had tried to persuade vice president Mike Pence on 5 Jan in an Oval Office meeting, that he had the constitutional power to block Biden’s ascent.

Andrew Buncombe explains the role Mr Eastman played in pushing Mr Trump’s plan to derail democracy:

Who is John Eastman and why did he ask Trump for a presidential pardon?

Never been as worried about US democracy, says Bill Clinton

06:10 , Sravasti Dasgupta

As the January 6 Committee hearings continue on last year’s Capitol insurrection, former president Bill Clinton says he has “never” been as worried about the fate of US democracy than he is right now.

“I actually think there is a fair chance we could completely lose our constitutional democracy for a couple of decades if we make bad decisions,” Mr Clinton told Late Late Show host James Corden in an episode airing Thursday.

“I am not naive about this. I have been in a lot of fights. I have lost some and won a bunch. I have been elated and heartbroken. But I have never before been as worried about the structure of our democratic form of government.”

Josh Marcus reports:

Bill Clinton tells James Corden he’s ‘never’ been more worried about US democracy

Opinion: Ginni Thomas’ involvement in January 6th shows we have a big problem with the Supreme Court

05:50 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Noah Berlatsky writes:

New emails provide even more damning evidence that Ginni Thomas may have been involved in efforts to illegally overthrow the 2020 election victory of Joe Biden. Thomas is the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — and together, the Thomases seem determined to demonstrate just how vulnerable our democracy is.

Ginni Thomas’ involvement in January 6th shows we have a big SCOTUS problem

Committee sends request to Ginni Thomas

05:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

The January 6 committee probing last year’s Capitol riots has sent a letter to Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

The panel in its letter has asked her to speak to them about her role in the effort to overturn the 2020 electoral results, committee chair Bennie Thompson said on Thursday.

“We think it’s time that we, at some point, invite her to come talk to the committee,” Mr Thompson told reporters on Thursday.

Ms Thomas had said in an interview with conservative outlet The Daily Caller that she “can’t wait to clear up misconceptions”.

“I look forward to talking to them,” she was quoted as saying in the interview published on Thursday.

Recently, text messages between Mark Meadows and Ms Thomas were released by the panel indicating Ms Thomas had played an active role in attempting to convince White House staff to go along with former president Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the election.

John Bowden reports:

Jan 6 committee to seek testimony from Ginni Thomas

Photos show Trump and family in Oval Office on Jan 6

05:14 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Previously unreleased photographs from inside the White House provided to the House select committee show then-president Donald Trump with his children and aides inside the Oval Office that day.

The images show the Trump family including the then president, and his children – Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump – along with chief aides and members of the administration at the White House as the joint session of Congress convened to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, which the former president baselessly asserted as fraudulent and stolen.

Mr Trump is also photographed on the phone.

Alex Woodward has the details:

Previously unreleased photos show Trump and family in Oval Office on Jan 6

Biden says recession ‘not inevitable’

04:59 , Oliver O’Connell

Joe Biden told the Associated Press that a recession is “not inevitable” at a time when the federal government is working to increase interest rates to curb inflation.

His comments come after a speech in Philadelphia in which he blasted Republicans, billionaires, and Wall Street while defending his economic plans.

Graig Graziosi reports on the president’s remarks.

Biden says recession ‘not inevitable’

DOJ hits out at January 6 committee for not sharing witness transcripts

04:30 , Oliver O’Connell

The Justice Department has accused the January 6 committee of withholding witness transcripts that would aid the prosecution of people who attacked the US Capitol.

In a letter sent to the committee on Wednesday, the DOJ said the “failure” to grant it access to the transcripts “complicates the department’s ability to investigate and prosecute those who engaged in criminal conduct” in relation to the Capitol attack.

“It is critical that the Select Committee provide us with copies of the transcripts of all of its witness interviews,” continued the letter, which was signed by Assistant Attorneys General Kenneth Polite, Jr and Matthew Olsen, as well as US Attorney Matthew Graves.

Richard Hall reports on the latest developments in the possible criminal proceedings against those involved in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

DOJ hits out at January 6 committee for not sharing witness transcripts

Proud Boys ‘were willing to kill vice president’ and rioters got within 40 feet of Pence

04:00 , Oliver O’Connell

One of the most stunning moments of Thursday’s hearing of the January 6 committee came as members presented a 3D model of areas of the Senate basement where Mike Pence was evacuated to after leaving the Senate floor with Secret Service.

According to security footage of the day, rioters came dangerously close to the vice president while members of the crowd inside and outside of the Capitol chanted, “hang Mike Pence”.

And according to committee member Pete Aguilar, a confidential witness has testified to the FBI that members of the Proud Boys, who were present in the riot, “would have killed Mike Pence if given the chance”.

John Bowden has startling details of the story.

Jan 6 informant reveals Proud Boys ‘were willing to kill vice president’

Trump lied about Mike Pence agreeing he could overturn election, hearing told

02:30 , Oliver O’Connell

An attorney who served as Mike Pence’s chief legal counsel in the days leading up to Jan 6 rebuked Donald Trump on Thursday and said that a statement the president put out claiming that the vice president agreed he had the power to overturn the election was “categorically false”.

Greg Jacob made the declaration on Thursday just before the January 6 committee took a recess.

Asked about a statement Mr Trump put out on the day before the riot claiming that he and Pence were in “total agreement” about the vice president’s authority to interfere in the electoral vote count, Mr Jacob said that the vice president’s team was “shocked and disappointed.”

John Bowden reports on the testimony.

Jan 6 hearing finds Trump lied about Mike Pence agreeing he could overturn election

Eastman tried to justify potential violence over plot to overturn election

02:00 , Oliver O’Connell

that would ensue if the former president tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election, the select committee investigating the January 6 riot at the Capitol hear in testimony on Thursday.

The committee played video testimony from former Trump administration lawyer Eric Herschman describing his conversation with John C Eastman, who was trying to concoct a plan for then-vice president Mike Pence to overturn the election results during the certification of the Electoral College.

“You’re saying that you believe the vice president, acting as president of the Senate of the Senate can be the sole decision-maker as to, under your theory, who becomes the next president of the United States”, Mr Herschmann recalled saying, to which Mr Eastman said “yes.”

Eric Garcia, reporting for The Independent from Capitol Hill, has the story.

Trump attorney tried to justify potential violence over plot to overturn election

Jan 6 witness knocks down Trump lawyer’s argument to overturn election

01:00 , Oliver O’Connell

A retired federal judge who formely counted a top lawyer for Donald Trump’s campaign among his law clerks, roundly dismissed the idea that Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to interfere in the count of the Electoral College.

J Michael Luttig, a former US Court of Appeals judge for the Fourth Circuit, rejected the idea supported by his former clerk, John Eastman, that posited the vice president could toss out results from states where the Trump campaign had claimed fraud (without evidence).

“There was no basis in the Constitution or the laws of the United States at all for the theory espoused by Mr Eastman. At all. None,” Mr Luttig told the House January 6 committee on Thursday.

John Bowden watched his testimony.

Jan 6 witness knocks down Trump lawyer’s argument to overturn election

VP aide: Pence told Trump ‘many times’ that plan to overturn election was illegal

Friday 17 June 2022 00:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Former Vice President Mike Pence warned Donald Trump that his plans to overturn the 2020 election were illegal ahead of January 6, the committee investigating Mr Trump’s role in the attack revealed on Thursday.

The latest revelation came in the form of testimony from Marc Short, the vice president’s ex-chief of staff who has remained one of his closest aides since Mr Pence left the White House in 2021.

According to Mr Short, the vice president warned Mr Trump “many times” that the plan was unconstitutional, yet Mr Trump pressed forward in his efforts to pressure his VP into interfering in the electoral count anyway.

John Bowden reports.

Mike Pence told Trump ‘many times’ that plan to overturn election was illegal

Thursday 16 June 2022 23:45 , Oliver O’Connell

“Vice President Pence understood that his oath of office was more important than his loyalty to Donald Trump. He did his duty. President Trump unequivocally did not.”

– Vice Chair @RepLizCheney

— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) June 16, 2022

Trump demands ‘equal time’ as ‘slanderous’ Jan 6 committee

Thursday 16 June 2022 23:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has hit out at TV news networks for broadcasting the hearings of the House select committee investigating the events surrounding the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

The former president took to his own social media platform, Truth Social, to complain that the hearings are “low rated”, “one-sided”, and “slanderous”.

Further, he demanded that he receive “equal time” to lay out a case for his unfounded allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Trump demands ‘equal time’ after Jan 6 committee hearing

Thursday 16 June 2022 23:15 , Oliver O’Connell

President Trump was told repeatedly that Mike Pence lacked the Constitutional and legal authority to do what Trump demanded he do.

Testimony from Marc Short, the Vice President’s Chief of Staff, who served in the Trump administration in multiple positions over four years: pic.twitter.com/adAR9Fif6u

— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) June 16, 2022

Opinion: Ginni Thomas’ involvement in January 6th shows we have a big problem with the Supreme Court

Thursday 16 June 2022 23:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Noah Berlatsky writes:

Ginni Thomas’ involvement in January 6th shows we have a big SCOTUS problem

‘The Costanza defence’: Trump’s Jan 6 arguments likened to ‘Seinfeld’ joke

Thursday 16 June 2022 22:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has been accused of using the “Constanza Defence,” a reference to an episode of the classic sitcom Seinfeld, to justify his false claims about the 2020 presidential election.

Josh Marcus reports:

Trump’s Jan 6 arguments dubbed ‘the Costanza defence’ after ‘Seinfeld’ joke

‘Pouring gasoline on the fire’

Thursday 16 June 2022 22:36 , Oliver O’Connell

The third public hearing into the Capitol riot heard evidence that Donald Trump was repeatedly told his plan to overturn the election result was illegal, even by the lawyer urging him to do so.

The Independent’s Washington, DC, team was on Capitol Hill today for the shocking testimony.

Trump knew plan for Pence to reject electoral votes was illegal but pushed it anyway

Opinion: What we just heard about Trump, Pence and Giuliani on January 6th was beyond the worst-case scenario

Thursday 16 June 2022 22:27 , Oliver O’Connell

Ahmed Baba writes:

They knew. They all knew.

What we just heard about Trump and Pence on Jan 6th is beyond the worst-case scenario

Biden says recession ‘not inevitable’

Thursday 16 June 2022 22:18 , Oliver O’Connell

Joe Biden told the Associated Press that a recession is “not inevitable” at a time when the federal government is working to increase interest rates to curb inflation.

His comments come after a speech in Philadelphia in which he blasted Republicans, billionaires, and Wall Street while defending his economic plans.

Mr Biden said at the time that he would continue to try to force billionaires and corporations to pay taxes that, he argues, they underpay every year.

Graig Graziosi reports:

Biden says recession ‘not inevitable’

New photo shows Pence in secure Capitol location

Thursday 16 June 2022 22:10 , Oliver O’Connell

A photo released from the National Archives to the House Select Committee investigating the attack on the Capitol on January 6 2021 shows then-Vice President Mike Pence in a secure Capitol Hill location watching a video of then-President Donald Trump praising the rioters.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

DOJ hits out at January 6 committee for not sharing witness transcripts

Thursday 16 June 2022 21:59 , Oliver O’Connell

The Justice Department has accused the January 6 committee of withholding witness transcripts that would aid the prosecution of people who attacked the US Capitol.

Richard Hall reports.

DOJ hits out at January 6 committee for not sharing witness transcripts

New photos emerge of Trump family in Oval Office on Jan 6

Thursday 16 June 2022 21:50 , Oliver O’Connell

Another new photograph of Trump and his circle in Oval Office on January 6 (released by House Committee): pic.twitter.com/rNT77OrsFq

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) June 16, 2022

Informant reveals Proud Boys ‘were willing to kill vice president’ as rioters got within 40 feet of Pence

Thursday 16 June 2022 21:40 , Oliver O’Connell

According to security footage of the day, rioters came dangerously close to the vice president while members of the crowd inside and outside of the Capitol chanted, “hang Mike Pence”.

John Bowden reports.

Jan 6 informant reveals Proud Boys ‘were willing to kill vice president’

Raskin: Question of Eastman email is if it is indicative of guilt

Thursday 16 June 2022 21:26 , Oliver O’Connell

The Independent’s Eric Garcia asked Rep Jamie Raskin about the prospect of prosecution for John Eastman based on his email asking for a presidential pardon following January 6.

Said Mr Raskin: “It’s obviously not illegal for him to seek a pardon, that’s not a criminal act of itself. The question is whether it is indicative of his consciousness of guilt or his fear of prosecution based on all of the actions he had undertaken in conjunction with Donald Trump. I think those are all legitimate questions and they all bear factual inquiry.”

Jan 6 chair says will not stop work to turn over transcripts to DoJ

Thursday 16 June 2022 21:21 , Oliver O’Connell

After the hearing, January 6 committee chair Rep Bennie Thompson was asked by reporters if the group would be turning over the transcripts of depositions to the Department of Justice to help with criminal prosecutions as has been requested by letter.

Mr Thompson responded: “We go the letter yesterday. We’re reviewing it, we’ll respond to it. But we’re in the midst of conducting our hearing, we have a programme to get over. We have to get the facts and circumstances behind January 6.”

“We will work with them, but we have a report to do,” he adds. “We are not going to stop what we’re doing to share the information we’ve gathered so far with the Department of Justice. We have to do our work.”

Trump ‘coup memo’ author asked for pardon

Thursday 16 June 2022 21:15 , Oliver O’Connell

The lawyer pushing the theory that then-Vice President Mike Pence had the power to singlehandedly overturn the election on January 6 asked for a presidential pardon from Donald Trump and continued to urge Mr Pence to reject the election results after the attack on the Capitol, according to testimony to the House Select Committee investigating the riot.

Gustaf Kilander reports:

‘Coup memo’ author asked for pardon and lobbied VP to overturn election after riot

Thursday 16 June 2022 21:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Here’s what senior Trump advisers through about the Eastman scheme to overturn the election.

Here is what various advisors to President Trump thought about the scheme to overturn the election: pic.twitter.com/v0nIZVvQ9P

— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) June 16, 2022

Thursday 16 June 2022 20:48 , Oliver O’Connell

The hearing concludes with Chair Bennie Thompson flagging up a tip line for those who want to provide additional information to the committtee.

There’s a “tip line” to provide information for those who want to provide additional information to the committee, says @BennieGThompson at the conclusion of today’s hearing. https://t.co/IDAky3K6Uj pic.twitter.com/JEFh3hTp49

— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) June 16, 2022

Trump and allies still a ‘clear and present danger’ to American democracy

Thursday 16 June 2022 20:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Judge Luittig says “I’m honoured beyond words by your words, I was honored on Jan 6 2021 and also honoured beyond words to be able to come to the aid of Vice President Mike Pence.”

He says Trump and his supporters remain a “clear and present danger” to American democracy because they “pledge” in 2024 to overturn another election, should he or an ally run and be defeated.

Judge Luttig adds that Trump and his allies are “candidly and proudly” executing a blueprint for the 2024 election “in open and plain view of the American public”.

He worries they may succeed where they failed in 2020.

“I don’t speak those words lightly,” he says.

Thursday 16 June 2022 20:39 , Oliver O’Connell

Chair Bennie Thompson tells Mr Jacob that he and former Vice President Pence and his team had courage when others did not and “put our democracy first”.

Thursday 16 June 2022 20:33 , Oliver O’Connell

Rep Aguilar says: “Judge Luttig in the statement you released earlier today, you wrote that the efforts by President Trump to overturn the 2020 election, were quote, the most reckless insidious and calamitous failures in both legal and political judgment in American history. What do you mean by that?”

Judge Luttig responds: “Exactly what I said, Congressman.”

Thursday 16 June 2022 20:32 , Oliver O’Connell

Former Trump White House lawyer Eric Herschmann says he talked with Eastman on January 7 and told him: “Get a great effing criminal defense lawyer. You’re going to need it.”

Eastman then emailed Rudy Giuliani saying that he wanted to be on the Trump administration pardon list.

“I’ve decided that I should be on the pardon list, if that is still in the works,” he wrote. Eastman did not received a pardon.

Video is then shown of Eastman’s depisition for the panel where he pled the fifth 100 times, according to Rep Aguilar.

The committee plays a clip of Eastman asserting his 5th amendment right during his deposition pic.twitter.com/UU2vLrWqIE

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 16, 2022