Investigators are still at the beginning stages of creating their road map. A clash is brewing outside their hearing room, as House Republicans resist the exclusions of two of their picks to the committee. It has only recently launched its website and hired its senior staff. The panel still needs to find potential Trump-adjacent witnesses like Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R.-Calif.) and Gen. Mark Milley, who is the chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff.Right, Elaine Luria leaves 2019 House Democratic caucus meeting.In a short interview, Rep. Elaine Luria (D.Va.), who is a member the select panel, stated that she believes the investigation's true scope is still being developed. I am certain that we will continue to build upon the work done by other committees.The select committee must balance the many Jan. 6 investigations that are ongoing or have been completed on Capitol Hill. This includes a bipartisan Senate investigation into the security breaches at Capitol Complex leading up to and during insurrection. Also, DOJs prosecutions for the rioters.House Democrats insist that select panels will not simply follow the footsteps of others.This is how the Senates function. Thompson replied, "Well do ours," when Thompson was asked how the bipartisan probe of the upper chambers might be integrated into the Houses effort. We will therefore take that work product and integrate it into ours.Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md. Another member of the select committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), echoed Luria's and Thompson's concerns about the scope of the investigation. He said that it was crucial that the panel examine coordination efforts of the extremist groups marching on Capitol Hill that day, a process that also includes the study of hundreds criminal prosecutions led by the Justice Department.Raskin stated that they want to find out who organized the action, who paid for it and how it came about.Committee members have gathered around a focus on what occurred at the Capitol that morning, and what happened in days leading up, stated Liz Cheney, Wyoming Rep., one of two Republicans appointed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the panel.Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), a member of the panel, said in a short interview that she was looking for witnesses to provide information on the local, state, and federal interactions in the days leading up to Jan. 6. She also wanted to hear from those who could speak about the influence of people with political goals at the Pentagon and intelligence agencies.Pelosi, who has not only picked the members of the committee but also hosted the group at her office for meetings, said that her approach to the panel was hands-off.She said Wednesday that they will decide on the time, place and circumstances. They will make these decisions. I am not involved in these decisions.It is not clear if the Republicans on this committee will be allowed to hire their own staff. Thompson stated that this topic is still being worked on and Cheney expressed hope former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R.Va.) would be serving as a representative. This means that Cheney, Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger and other GOP appointees will likely receive the allotment of staff that was normally reserved for full-time Republicans.The committee will likely pursue ex-White House officials like Mark Meadows, then-chief of staff, and other close aides that were present with Trump during the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6. It is unclear whether the Justice Department's new guidance will apply to them. Those individuals could still challenge a subpoena at court if Trump claims executive privilege to prevent them from detailing their conversations.A protracted legal battle with Trump-era officials could cause delays in hearings and result in transcripted interviews. The House Oversight Committee hearing in May on the insurrection, which included Rosen and former Acting Defense Sec. Christopher Miller, was heated at times. It yielded no new information and underlines how difficult it is for the panel to line up high-profile witnesses.It is possible that the select committee will have difficulty maintaining momentum as the House departs for August recess. Thompson said Tuesday to reporters that the committee could return to mid-August in order for them hold another hearing.Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesThe Justice Department declared that it will not block witnesses from appearing before the congressional committees, which are the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight and Reform Committee, investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. This was a major victory for the congressional committees. This marked a departure from the Trump-era DOJ which used blanket claims of executive privilege in order to block potential witnesses from describing their interactions with the president.For example, the Oversight Committee is investigating Trump's attempts to press the Justice Department to investigate claims of voter fraud. This could potentially result in the overturning of the 2020 election results.Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a Democratic Representative from New York, chaired the panel and released the department's letters to its ex-Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. These letters detail DOJs view of the congressional need for information over the Executive Branch's interest in keeping confidentiality.Maloney stated that she was willing to use the Biden DOJs position in the matter and said she expected prompt cooperation" from Rosen, the former Justice Department officials.Two former U.S. Attorneys based in Atlanta are the ones she wants to speak to. This is a reference to Trump's January phone conversation with Georgias secretary-of-state in which he asked the top election official of the state to find enough votes in order to reverse Bidens victory.Heather Caygle contributed to the report.
