The second of the Jan. 6 committee’s public hearings will convene at 10 a.m. Monday for another day of testimony from key witnesses regarding the events around the Capitol riot.
The hearing will be focused on Trump’s ‘Big Lie’ — his declaring victory in the 2020 presidential election after being told he didn’t have the numbers to win, committee aides said.
What to watch: Among those testifying Monday will be former Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien and Byung J. “BJay” Pak, the Trump-appointed former U.S. attorney in Atlanta who abruptly resigned the day before the Capitol riot amid pressure from Trump on Georgia officials to overturn election results in their state.
- A source familiar with Stepien’s thinking told Axios that Stepien “got subpoenaed — not sure he is a ‘friendly’ witness.’”
- Committee aides declined to say what they expect to hear from Stepien.
- Former Fox News editor Chris Stirewalt will also be among those testifying. Stirewalt confirmed during an appearance on NewsNation on Friday that he had been “called to testify before the committee.”
- Also appearing Monday will be election attorney Benjamin Ginsberg and former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt.
- Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) will lead the hearing and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) is expected to play a key role in the presentation of findings.
The big picture: The public hearings are intended to lay out the case that former President Trump was responsible for the Capitol riot.
- On Monday, the committee will walk through Election Day and election night 2020 and how the origin of false election fraud claims unfolded in the weeks that followed, including the hundreds of millions of dollars raised between Election Day and Jan 6.
- Last week’s hearing included explosive revelations about House Republicans who sought pardons for their roles in seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election, as well as recorded testimony from former Attorney General Bill Barr and Ivanka Trump.
- Eyewitnesses viscerally recounted what they saw and experienced over the course of the Capitol riot.
Source:axios.com