According to CNN, “Rudy Giuliani is expected to appear next month” before the House committee investigating the Capitol riot, giving investigators another avenue to obtain access to details surrounding former President Trump himself. Giuliani served as a personal attorney for Trump throughout attempts to undo Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory; Giuliani was involved in spreading false claims of fraud and in specific efforts to go after that victory, including the assembling of faked electoral votes for Trump in states that Biden won. Justifications for the essentially fraudulent electoral votes included the notion that they’d help keep election challenges viable — but there’s never been real-world evidence that challenges to Biden’s victory would prove successful.
New: Oath Keeper member Brian Ulrich pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding on Jan. 6 — the second Oath Keeper to do so after Joshua James, who provided security to Roger Stone.
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) April 29, 2022
It’s unclear at this point what exactly that Giuliani might discuss with the House riot committee, which originally subpoenaed the former New York City mayor earlier this year. Per CNN, Giuliani “may be willing to testify about claims of election fraud but… he did not intend to waive executive or attorney-client privilege” — legal notions that have frequently shown up in defenses from Trump allies for refusals to cooperate with legitimate investigative efforts. In the case of ex-Trump attorney John Eastman, committee investigators argued that attorney-related privilege claims the lawyer made over certain records should be set aside because of the appearance of potential criminal activity. A federal judge concluded that Trump and Eastman had, in fact, likely — although not certainly — committed criminal acts amid the attempts to stop Biden’s presidency.
Jan. 6 committee member Adam Kinzinger says on CBS hearings will lay out “what led to January 6, the lies after the election, fundraising, the 187 minutes the president basically sat in the Oval Office” during the Capitol attack.
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) May 2, 2022
Meanwhile, committee investigators have recently heard from other high-profile individuals like Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner. Ivanka — a daughter of the former president — served as a presidential adviser throughout Donald’s time in office, and Jared also worked for Trump. Although the duo’s proximity to Trump might suggest that they’d be reluctant to share relevant information, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) — the vice chair on the riot panel — said “certainly, her testimony was helpful” regarding Ivanka’s appearance. Ivanka evidently met with the committee for nearly eight hours. In theory, Giuliani could be compelled to comply, at least in part, with demands from the committee due to his other legal vulnerabilities, including the defamation litigation with which he’s been slapped in connection to his election-related lies. He might want to avoid additional legal turmoil.
Just in: Jan. 6 committee chair Bennie Thompson tells reporters the panel will hold at least 8 public hearings, spread out over the month of June with some in prime time
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) April 28, 2022
Going forward, the committee is planning on eight additional public hearings in June, with the first tentatively set for June 9, although neither witness nor topic lists were immediately available. The point of the hearings will be to essentially lay out the case assembled by panel members for the American people. Investigators are also continuing to collect new information. Panel member Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) expressed interest over the weekend in hearing from Mike Pence, and Kinzinger also indicated an openness to issuing subpoenas for certain fellow Republicans in Congress.
BREAKING: Jan. 6 committee requests cooperation from House Republicans Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks and Ronny Jackson — with more letters to come.
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) May 2, 2022
