The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol began a series of public hearings on Thursday, thrusting the evidence it has recovered over the past year and a half into the spotlight.
The committee aims to prove that former President Trump is accountable for the violence that occurred during the insurrection, which led to the deaths of five police officers and injured many others. However, the lawmakers investigating Jan. 6 have failed to obtain all relevant information due to the refusal of some Trump allies to turn over records to the committee.
Four members of Trump’s former administration have been subpoenaed and refused to release information, leading the committee to hold them in contempt until they yield to the orders.
Here are the four witnesses the Jan. 6 committee has held in contempt:
Former Trump aide Pete Navarro
Former trade adviser Pete Navarro was indicted on two counts of criminal contempt for Congress at the beginning of June, after the Jan. 6 select committee voted to hold him in contempt two months ago for a refusal to comply with their subpoena.
“That committee is a sham committee that doesn’t have the power to issue subpoenas,” Navarro said before a panel of federal judges. “They’ve basically weaponized their investigatory powers in a way which violates separation of powers.”
The Jan. 6 committee subpoenaed Navarro in February for documents related to Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, of which Navarro was a proponent.
Navarro claimed, along with Trump, that Trump’s election loss was caused by voter fraud. The committee sought information about a claim by Navarro that over 100 lawmakers agreed with efforts to overturn the election results, which Navarro did not provide....