WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice has asked former President Donald Jr. to refer to the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attacks. Asked for transcripts of interviews he discussed with Trump allies.
Attorney General Merrick P. The move, which appeared to accelerate the pace of its tough investigation into the Garland Capital riots, is an even clearer indication of a wider investigation into the judiciary.
The House committee has interviewed more than 1,000 people so far, and transcripts could be used as evidence in potential criminal cases, to be used as a basis for new interviews or new interviews conducted by federal law enforcement officials.
Aides to Representative Benny Thompson, Mississippi’s Democrats and group leader, say an acquaintance who spoke on condition of anonymity has not yet reached a final agreement with the judiciary on what will be replaced. Due to the confidentiality of the investigation.
On April 20, Kenneth A., Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Division, was arrested. Polit Jr. and U.S. Attorney Matthew M. of the District of Columbia. Graves, Timothy J., leading investigator on the House panel. Wrote a letter to Heffi. Some group interviews advised him that “there may be information about the criminal investigation we are conducting.”
Mr. Polite and Mr. Graves did not specify the number of transcripts they requested or whether any of the interviews were particularly interesting. In their letter, they made a broad request that the group “provide us with transcripts of these interviews and additional interviews you will conduct in the future.”
Spokesmen for the Judiciary and the House Committee declined to comment.
Has been operating on a separate path from the work of the Judicial Inquiry Committee. Generally, investigators working on both hearings do not share information, except to contact one witness to confirm that a witness was not scheduled to appear before different investigators at the same time, according to one person who knew about the investigation.
So far, the judiciary’s investigation has focused more on the lower-level activists who attacked Capitol than those who planned the attack. But in recent weeks, Mr. Garland strengthened the key committee dealing with the most important and politically burning elements of the investigation.
Several months ago, the department Quietly detailed Thomas Wyndham, a senior federal attorney from Maryland, to department headquarters. He oversees the politically charged question of whether he can be prosecuted for other attempts to change the election, other than the Capitol storm. The work was investigated by Mr. Can move closer to Trump and his inner circle.
A sapona reviewed by The New York Times indicates that the judiciary is examining the actions taken by the rally planners.
After the 2020 election, prosecutors have begun to hear records of those who organized or spoke at several pro-Trump rallies and provided security at those events and were considered “VIP participants.”
They also seek information on members of executive and legislative branches who have planned or executed rallies or attempted to “prevent, influence, ban or delay” the election certificate.
The request for transcripts of the judiciary underscores the extent to which the House Committee covered the evidence and the extraordinary nature of the congressional hearing, which was well staffed with evidence from key witnesses before an excellent jury trial.
A House committee of seven Democrats and two Republicans, Mr. Led by Thompson and Wyoming’s representative Liz Cheney, she was one of two House Republicans who embraced the investigation into their own party’s activities. The group employs about 45 people, including a dozen former federal lawyers and two former U.S. lawyers, and spends more than $ 1.6 million a quarter on its work.
The team has received documents and testimonies from a variety of witnesses, including a dozen Trump White House officials, rally planners and some of the rioters. Those witnesses include White House lawyers; Judicial officers; Security officers; Members of the National Guard; Staff close to Vice President Mike Pence; Mr. Members of Trump’s personal law committee; Joseph R. Republicans who participated in the program to nominate pro-Trump voters from the states where Biden Jr. won; Mr. Members of Trump’s own family; And leaders of right-wing militant groups.
At least 16 Trump allies have signaled they will not fully cooperate with the group. Faced with such opposition, investigators within the group Have taken a page from organized criminal cases And have turned at least six lower-level Trump administration employees into witnesses who quietly provided information about the actions of their bosses.
Some of those witnesses – including an aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows – have provided vital information.
The committee has also sought to obtain testimony from members of Congress and Republicans Sub-Bona awarded to five legislators Last week. Those members have denigrated the work of the committee, but declined to say whether they will take part in scheduled interviews by the end of May. Ohio Representative Jim Jordan, one of the lawmakers, said he received his soap on Monday and was reviewing it.
Mr. Garland and his top aides were careful not to disclose their investigation methods, and they sought to emphasize their impartiality in the limited public opinion of the investigation.
“We investigate behavior and crime, not people or perspectives,” said Deputy Attorney General, Lisa O. Monaco said last week during an interview at the University of Chicago.
“We follow the evidence,” he added. “It’s very important to do it properly.”
