Conflicting explanations over why Wednesday’s Jan. 6 committee hearing abruptly postponed
TheJan. 6 committee announced Tuesday morning that its hearing set for Wednesday has been postponed — but conflicting explanations were offered as to why.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., told reporters on Capitol Hill following the committee’s announcement that there was no issue with witnesses in moving the hearing but « technical issues. »
« It’s just technical issues. I mean, we were, you know, the staff putting together all the videos, you know, doing 1-2-3, It was overwhelming, so we’re trying to give them a little room, » she said. « It’s not a big deal. »
Rep. Zoe Lofgren speaks as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol meets to reveal its findings of a year-long investigation, at the Capitol in Washington, June 13, 2022.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Appearing on MSNBC’s « Morning Joe » earlier, she said « putting together the video exhibits is an exhausting exercise for our very small video staff … it’s just too much to put it all together. »
Former Trump campaign Lawyer Rudy Giuliani, is displayed on a screen during a hearing by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol, on June 13, 2022 in Washington, DC.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
But when asked later if Lofgren’s explanation of the hearing postponement is accurate, a committee aide said « no. »
The aide said the hearing has been « postponed to accommodate scheduling demands. »
Not long after the committee issued a statement saying, « The postponement is due to a number of scheduling factors, including production timeline and availability of members and witnesses. »
The hearing’s focus was to be then-President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign on the Justice Department to back his false claims of election fraud.
Former acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen had accepted an invitation from the Jan. 6 committee to appear at Wednesday’s hearing, alongside his then-deputy Richard Donoghue and one of DOJ’s former top attorneys Steve Engel, according to a letter obtained by ABC News sent from Rosen’s attorney to the committee.
