While the January 6th select committee begins preparations for “blockbuster” public hearings in just a matter of weeks, the DOJ’s probe of the attempted insurrection has been far more clandestine in nature.
There have long been rumors of a DOJ investigation into the subject, but the formerly non-partisan agency certainly prefers to work in the solitary solitude of the shadows. What we do know about their probe must be gleaned from the public record or from loose lips on the inside.
The latest info to trickle out from the DOJ is rather sizable, however, and it could lead to some testy moments ahead.
The Justice Department has asked the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack for transcripts of interviews it is conducting, which have included discussions with associates of former President Donald J. Trump, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
The move, coming as Attorney General Merrick B. Garland appears to be ramping up the pace of his painstaking investigation into the Capitol riot, is the clearest sign yet of a wide-ranging inquiry at the Justice Department.
The committee has plenty of data to share.
The House committee has interviewed more than 1,000 people so far, and the transcripts could be used as evidence in potential criminal cases, to pursue new leads or as a baseline text for new interviews conducted by federal law enforcement officials.
The GOP has already suggested that the J6 committee’s probe is little more than a Democratic fishing expedition aimed at gathering ammunition for the 2022 and 2024 elections.
