1/6 Committee Weekly Digest

Country First presents the next edition of The Weekly Digest to highlight the important work of the January 6th Select Committee. Each week that the committee makes news, we’ll provide a recap to make sure you’re up to date.

In Case You Missed It: 

• Rep. Kinzinger speaking on MSNBC on the anniversary of the attack. 
• Rep. Kinzinger speaking with Chuck Todd on Social Media Disinformation and 1/6
• Rep. Kinzinger criticizes Trump on Fox News.   
• Rep. Kinzinger talks with GMA to give an update on 1/6 commission.

New Requests for Information from 1/6 Committee: 

• House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
• Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH)
• Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA)
• Sean Hannity (Fox News)

Here are the major developments from this past week: 

The 1/6 Committee Calls Out McCarthy and other GOP Members for their Comments on the Insurrection 

The 1/6 Committee is firing back after members of the GOP, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) questioned the legitimacy of the investigation. The committee responded to the allegations in its first detailed legal response in a filing Wednesday night. 

Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) responded to Minority Leader McCarthy saying, "We have information that he made calls to the White House, telling him [Trump] he needed to call the people off and for whatever reason, he decided not to come to the committee and say what many things he said in public." McCarthy has been dodging questions about responding to the questions the committee wants to ask him. Recently, McCarthy has decided not to respond to the request of the January 6th committee to answer questions. McCarthy has also backtracked his initial statements that the former president had any involvement in the planning or unfolding of the events that conspired on January 6th.

As a reminder, here is Congressman McCarthy’s speech on January 13, 2021, condemning the former president for his inaction on January 6th. 

Extremist group, the Oath Keepers, leaders Indicted on the Most Serious Charges Yet

On January 13, just over a year after the attack on the Capitol, the leader of the extremist group known as the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, was indicted on 17 counts of seditious conspiracy. Along with Rhodes, 10 others in the extremist group, including Edward Vallejo of Phoenix, were also indicted on the same charges. Seditious conspiracy is the most serious charge that has been brought against people who were involved in the attack at the Capitol. Often referred to treason’s sibling, seditious conspiracy is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. 

A federal grand jury in Washington, DC handed down the indictment days after Attorney General Merrick Garland reaffirmed his commitment to prosecuting the perpetrators of the attempted coup. The DOJ produced a news release saying, in part, "According to the seditious conspiracy charge, the defendants conspired through a variety of manners and means, including: organizing into teams that were prepared and willing to use force and to transport firearms and ammunition into Washington, DC." 

The indictment goes on to accuse the 11 of recruiting members and holding trainings to teach combat tactics as well as providing weaponry and protective equipment to their members. 

Federal Judge Rejects Proud Boys First Amendment Claim in Conspiracy Case

In an opinion issued last week, Judge Timothy Kelly rejected the far-right extremist group known as the “Proud Boys” claim that their actions on January 6th are protected under the 1st Amendment. Proud Boys leaders Joseph Biggs, Charles Donohoe, Ethan Nordean, and Zachary Rehl were charged with conspiracy and obstruction among other felonies for planning the brutal attack at the Capitol. The obstruction charge carries a 20-year maximum prison term.

Judge Kelly, wrote "No matter Defendants political motivations or any political message they wished to express, this alleged conduct is simply not protected by the First Amendment," the Trump-appointed judge continued saying, "Quite obviously, there were many avenues for Defendants to express their opinions about the 2020 presidential election… without resorting to the conduct with which they have been charged."

This ruling is unique because it is a separate case from the case against another far-right extremist group, the Oath Keepers. 

January 6 Committee Looking to Release Interim Report Mid-Summer

The 1/6 Committee, including Congressman Kinzinger, is seeking to ensure the American people are aware of the serious information it has uncovered. According to senior committee aides, the committee has a goal of releasing an interim report in the summer of 2022, with a goal of releasing a final report before the end of the year. 

The committee has split into five teams and are looking for, "information on the money and funding streams for the 'Stop the Steal' rallies and events; the misinformation and online extremist activity; how agencies across the government were preparing for the January 6 rally; the pressure campaigns to overturn the election results or delay the electoral certification; and the organizers of the various events and plans for undermining the election," the Washington Post reported Dec. 27.

While some witnesses have been reluctant to comply with subpoenas issued, the committee has collected over 9,000 documents and records from former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows alone, with many members of Congress still to be subpoenaed. 

The commission also plans to hold public hearings in 2022. 

Federal Judge Rejects Trump’s Claim of Peaceful January 6 Protesters

On Monday, US district Judge Amit Mehta handed Trump's lawyers another blow, telling them to "stick with the facts" when they claimed Trump urged his supporters to stay peaceful. Judge Mehta said that Trump did not, "take to Twitter… and say 'Stop. Get out of the Capitol. What you are doing is not what I wanted to do,'" in a court hearing on Monday. 

A federal judge required the lawyers for the former president to reckon with his silence during the attack at the Capitol, asking whether the president’s action or lack thereof could be considered an endorsement of the violence that occurred.  

Trump’s lawyer pushed back, saying that the former president could not face legal action for his inaction. 

Select Committee Issued Subpoenas to Social Media Companies

Social Media companies including Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, and Google were subpoenaed by the 1/6 committee on January 13. The committee has asked for more records after their first request received “inadequate responses” from the major platforms. 

The committee believes social media giants like Meta, formerly Facebook, among other social media giants have held back information that is vital to the House investigation. 

Other news that may be of interest: 

• Biden calls 1/6 an attempted coup. 
• Pence and the 1/6 Committee go back and forth over testimony. 
• 1/6 Committee issued more subpoenas. 
• CNN produced a fact check on Rep. Jordan’s letter to the committee. 
• CNN produced a fact check on House Minority Leader McCarthy’s comments on the 1/6 Committee.