Scoop: Cipollone testimony prompted hearing delay
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New testimony from former White House counsel Pat Cipollone prompted the Jan. 6 committee to delay a hearing that had been informally planned for this Thursday by a week, a member of the panel told Axios.
Driving the news: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told Axios, "I know that we’ve just changed Thursday’s meeting to next Thursday. ... I think we were shooting for [this Thursday,] but now we have an infusion of new testimony."
- Raskin specified: “I think that Cipollone’s testimony has opened up a number of different avenues.”
Why it matters: The development underscores the gravity of Cipollone's eight-hour closed-door deposition, the value of which committee members have been playing up in recent days.
- Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) said on "Meet The Press" that the panel "got a lot of relevant information from him."
- Vice Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said at the panel's Tuesday hearing that it "met our expectations."
What they're saying: “The Select Committee is receiving new and potentially important information,” a committee aide told Axios. The aide confirmed the new testimony was the reason for the delay.
- "The Select Committee expects to convene for an additional hearing next week to account for this. We will assess all emerging information for presentation to the American people."
The backdrop: Clips of Cipollone were played throughout the committee's hearing on Tuesday, which focused on Trump's connection to the extremist groups that stormed the Capitol.
- He testified that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows assured him Trump would eventually concede gracefully.
- He also provided considerable insight into a Dec. 18 meeting in which Trump embraced extreme proposals geared toward helping him stay in power.
What's next: The hearing is expected to focus on events in the White House as the violence unfolded at the Capitol — and Trump's inaction in stopping the riot.
- Cipollone is a key witness to what went on inside the West Wing on that day, Axios' Alayna Treene and Erin Doherty reported.
- Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified last month that Cipollone fought to stop Trump from going to the Capitol on Jan. 6 and pressed Meadows to get the president to stop the violence.
