Jan. 6 panel to reveal Trump tweet prompted groups to change date of descent on DC: report
The House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol plans to reveal it has evidence some pro-Trump groups changed the date they planned to protest in D.C. following a December 19, 2020 tweet by former President Trump that will be at the center of the committee's hearing on Tuesday.
Axios reported Monday that at least one of the groups amended its rally permit to occur on Jan. 6 instead of in the days following President Biden's inauguration.
“Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!” Trump wrote in the Tweet, that the committee plans to scrutinize at its next public hearing as well as the role extremist groups played leading up to and on that day.
The committee will also reportedly hear testimony from a riot suspect who accused Biden and Demcrats of “treason” and a former spokesperson for the far-right militia group Oath Keepers.
The rioter, Stephen Ayres of Warren, Ohio, shared Trump’s tweet on Facebook shortly before heading to D.C. the day before the riot, according to ABC News.
Jason Van Tatenhoven, who once served as a spokesman for the Oath Keepers, is expected to share testimony that helps examine extremist groups’ role in the riots.