According to a new report from the Associated Press, longtime Trump aide Stephen Miller was set to speak with the House committee investigating the Capitol riot on Thursday, adding another high-profile name to the list of hundreds upon hundreds of individuals who have appeared before the panel. The Associated Press report cited a pair of sources described as “familiar with the matter,” although neither the riot panel nor Miller had any apparent confirmations or denials of the report to offer the outlet. The riot committee also recently heard from Ivanka Trump — the former president’s daughter, who was a presidential adviser throughout his time in office, and her husband, Jared Kushner, who also worked with Donald.
"We have conducted more than 830 interviews and depositions… Those witnesses didn’t hide behind thin claims of executive privilege. Those witnesses followed the law. They did their patriotic duty.
Mr. Scavino and Mr. Navarro didn’t show up."
-Chair @BennieGThompson— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) April 7, 2022
The riot committee subpoenaed Miller last November. At the time that the panel rolled out his subpoena, a press release from committee investigators noted how Miller admittedly “participated in efforts to spread false information about alleged voter fraud in the November 2020 election, as well as efforts to encourage state legislatures to alter the outcome of the November 2020 election by appointing alternate slates of electors.” Some so-called alternate slates of electors prepared outside official legislative channels had no legal foundation but were meant to provide electoral votes for Trump from states that Biden actually won. Justifications for the move have varied — the alternate votes have at times been characterized by those involved as a fail-safe of sorts to keep litigation over the election from becoming moot, but the fact of the matter is these people falsified (or at least attempted to falsify) official documents.
"We live in the greatest constitutional Republic in history. No citizen in our Republic can be a bystander. If we do not stand for our freedom and for our Constitution, we will lose them."
-Vice Chair @RepLizCheney— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) April 7, 2022
Miller, meanwhile, also apparently assisted in the preparation of remarks Trump gave at the outdoor rally in D.C. that immediately preceded last year’s attack on the Capitol. The Justice Department was recently reported to have expanded their January 6 investigation to cover that rally, and one pro-Trump organizer, Ali Alexander, has publicly confirmed they were the subject of a grand jury subpoena apparently related to attempts to obtain information about the event. Alexander’s own efforts on the then-president’s behalf appear to have been at least mostly focused elsewhere. Miller, meanwhile, might be hoping to avoid becoming the subject of a referral to the Justice Department for prosecution on contempt of Congress in the event that he outright refuses to cooperate with the panel’s investigation. The full House has approved contempt findings implicating four Trump allies, referring these individuals to the Justice Department for prosecution. These referrals aren’t binding; it’s ultimately up the Justice Department whether to bring charges.
BREAKING: Peter Navarro and Daniel Scavino, Jr. cited for criminal contempt by House of Representatives for defiance of Select Committee subpoenas.
They will be referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution.
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) April 6, 2022
The riot panel is planning to eventually host public hearings. It could also refer Trump to the Justice Department for prosecution — and a federal judge recently concluded it was likely Trump committed felonies amid his quest to overturn the election outcome, but whether investigators on the riot committee will in fact recommend Trump for prosecution isn’t clear. Meanwhile, Trump is still lying about the election.
The Republicans have finally found evidence of potential voter fraud! The suspect is one of their own: former Congressman and Trump flunky Mark Meadows. Congratulations!
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) April 14, 2022
