Ivanka Trump, the former president’s daughter who also served as a presidential adviser during Donald’s time in office, was set to testify to the House committee investigating the Capitol riot on Tuesday, according to reports. For Ivanka to testify obviously represents a remarkable level of access to the former president for the House riot panel, and she was reportedly set to testify to riot investigators days after her husband, Jared Kushner, did the same. One member on the committee said Kushner gave them “valuable” and “helpful” information. Like Ivanka, Kushner worked in Donald’s orbit for years. Ivanka was not subpoenaed by the committee — instead, investigators requested her voluntary testimony, and she’s apparently complying with their request.
If we fail to cite Peter Navarro and Daniel Scavino, Jr. for contempt, we weaken the institution of the House of Representatives, not just today, but a month from now, a year from now, and going forward.
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) April 5, 2022
Ivanka was among those on White House grounds as the violence unfolded, and she was apparently involved in efforts to get then-President Trump to speak out against the rioters. Riot panel chairperson Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said in a previous letter to Ivanka asking for her cooperation that testimony “obtained by the Committee indicates that members of the White House staff requested your assistance on multiple occasions to intervene in an attempt to persuade President Trump to address the ongoing lawlessness and violence on Capitol Hill.” At least some of the testimony regarding Ivanka’s part in attempts to get Donald to publicly address the unfolding chaos at the Capitol came from ret. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who served as a national security adviser to then-Vice President Mike Pence. Kellogg apparently sought Ivanka’s help in cajoling Donald into speaking out. Additionally, Kellogg has also testified that he and Ivanka were present for the then-president’s side of a phone conversation with Pence on the morning of January 6, when Donald once again tried to pressure the then-VP into going along with a scheme to undo Biden’s victory.
The Rules Committee just advanced our resolution recommending that Peter Navarro and Daniel Scavino, Jr. be held in contempt of Congress.
Next stop➡️House floor for a vote
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) April 4, 2022
So far, the riot panel has heard from over 800 witnesses, and it’s obtained significant troves of documentary evidence, including records from the Trump White House that the ex-president tried to keep hidden. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to go along with Trump’s bid to shield those records. At some point in the near future, the panel plans to hold public hearings to essentially lay out their findings. Their investigation has gone beyond the riot itself to include questions of what led up to it, including the months that Trump and prominent allies of his spent spreading lies about the integrity of the last presidential election — lies that provided the rioters with their inspiration. It’s unclear at this point whether the riot panel will issue a criminal referral implicating Trump — such a referral would not force the Justice Department to act; it would be more of a simple recommendation for prosecution. A federal judge dealing with a dispute between the committee and ex-Trump lawyer John Eastman over records held by the lawyer recently concluded that Trump had likely committed felony offenses amid his election subversion attempts.
"A few of former-President Trump’s closest aides and allies seem to think they are [above the law] – including a senior communications official: Daniel Scavino, Jr…
He must fulfill his legal and moral obligation… or face the consequences."
–@RepZoeLofgren— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) April 4, 2022
