January 6 hearing: Committee puts Trump at center of attack

WASHINGTON (NBC) – The House committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol began its first in a series of long-awaited public hearings Thursday by revealing new footage and testimony to make the case that the deadly attack was the direct result of then-President Donald Trump’s attempts to cling to power.

The committee promised that the six additional hearings that have been scheduled will make it clear how Trump supporters came to lay siege to the Capitol to block members of Congress from formalizing Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.

Key moments from Thursday’s hearing:

• The committee aired sober, never-seen-before testimony from ally after ally, including Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump, admitting they knew Trump’s stolen election claims were unfounded.
• Democratic lawmakers in the room gasped when committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney played audio from Gen. Mark Milley’s testimony. The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff testified that he was asked to help “kill the narrative” that then-Vice President Mike Pence was “making all the decisions” related to the government’s response to the violence — rather than Trump himself.
• Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the committee, argued that Jan. 6 was the "culmination of an attempted coup" coordinated by extremist groups like the Proud Boys answering Trump’s call.