Jan 6 committee releases testimony transcripts from 34 Trump supporters who pleaded the Fifth
Among the witnesses pleading the Fifth was Roger Stone, right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and the leaders of far-right groups the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The House select committee investigating the January 6 riot at the US Capitol has released a trove of interview transcripts from several Donald Trump supporters and allies, showcasing their rampant refusal to cooperate with the probe.
On Wednesday, the panel published testimony from 34 witnesses who had been called to testify as part of the 17-month-long investigation into the violent insurrection that culminated in five deaths and left dozens of law enforcement officers injured.
All 34 of the witnesses pleaded the Fifth during all or at least part of their interviews with the House panel, the transcripts reveal.
Among them was longtime Mr Trump ally Roger Stone, right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, white supremacist Nick Fuentes, and the leaders of far-right groups the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.
Several Republican Party officials were also among them, including Nevada GOP chair Michael McDonald and Michigan Republican National Committeewoman Kathy Berden.
Mr Stone – who was previously convicted of lying to Congress – pleaded the Fifth Amendment for every single question he was asked during his interview with the panel, the transcript shows.
He even refused to answer basic questions such as where he lives, how old he is and whether he understand his right to invoke the Fifth.
During the 51-minute interview, he was asked about a group chat on encrypted messaging app Signal about January 6 which he was in along with Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes. Mr Rhodes has now been convicted of seditious conspiracy.
The transcript from Mr Fuentes’ testimony shows that he also pleaded the Fifth to questions around him being on a no-fly list and him livestreaming from January 6.
Mr Fuentes hit headlines last month after the white supremacist held a meeting with Mr Trump and antisemitic rapper Kanye West at Mar-a-Lago.
While Mr Jones also followed the pattern of his right-wing allies in pleading the Fifth, the far-right extremist and Sandy Hook shooting denier broke rank to launch into an outburst about Rep Adam Schiff at one point.
When the Infowars host was asked if he was going to continue pleading the Fifth Amendment, he fired back with the false claim that he was doing it because “Adam Schiff forges documents”.
Mr Jones’ lawyer Norm Pattis tried to silence his client to no avail with the conspiracy theorist continuing: “I don’t trust Congressman Schiff. He’ll forge documents…. I want to tell you guys everything, but I don’t trust Congressman Schiff.”
The 34 witnesses are: Christopher Barcenas, Kathy Berden, Alexander Bruesewitz, Patrick Casey, Dion Cini, Jeffrey Clark, Jim DeGraffenreid, Enrique De La Torre, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, Kimberly Fletcher, Michael Flynn, Nick Fuentes, Julie Fancelli, Bianca Gracia, Alex Jones, Ryan Kelley, Charlie Kirk, David Scott Kuntz, Antonio LaMotta, Philip Luelsdorff, Robert Patrick Lewis, Joshua Macias, Shawna Martin, John Matze, Michael McDonald, Stewart Rhodes, Mayra Rodriguez, Michael Roman, Roger Stone, Enrique Tarrio, Phil Waldron, Kelli Ward and Garrett Ziegler.
The transcripts are the first of hundreds of interviews gathered throughout the months-long investigation to be released to the public, coming ahead of the release of the full report on Thursday.
The report had been slated for release on Wednesday but was delayed a day due to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s surprise visit to Washington DC.
The panel held its final public hearing earlier this week, where it announced it was making criminal referrals to the DOJ.
Among the referrals, the committee said that Donald Trump should potentially face four criminal charges for his alleged role in the insurrection.
The report – based on more than 1,000 interviews and documents such as texts, emails, and phone records – will detail the reasons behind these recommendations.
In a report summary released earlier this week, the committee said it had found knowledge of “multiple efforts by President Donald Trump to contact Select Committee witnesses” and “evidence suggesting specific efforts to obstruct the Committee’s investigation”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments