Jan. 6 panel eyes October for rescheduled hearing
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Jan. 6 Committee Chair Bennie Thompson. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images.
The Jan. 6 select committee is eyeing an October date for a public hearing that was postponed due to Hurricane Ian, members of the panel said Wednesday.
Why it matters: The hearing, which was initially scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, is set to be the panel's last and is expected to fill in details about the findings they've already put out.
Driving the news: Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told reporters at the Capitol that the panel's members have "not set a date" yet, but that they're meeting this week to decide.
- Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said the panel is looking at a date "in the next couple weeks," and that it will "certainly" be before the Nov. 8 election. "I think it's got to be in October," he said.
- Raskin said the panel is “canvassing everyone for their schedules. Travel, CODELs and all that.”
- Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) also said the hearing will happen before election day, telling Axios: "It will happen soon."
What they're saying: The "only factor" committee members are considering, said Aguilar, is "all nine members being present. ... All members are going to play a role in this hearing, and we want to protect that."
- That likely rules out a hearing in September, with Rep. Stephanie Murphy's (D-Fla.) home state being battered by the hurricane.
- It also poses challenges with holding a hearing too close to election day, particularly with Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) campaigning in a swing district.
- "There's some other obligations that members have for next month that we want to protect as well," Aguilar acknowledged.
Remember: The first week in October is also a holiday week, with Yom Kippur on Tuesday and Wednesday, further complicating the calendar.
What we're watching: Raskin said the hearing will "fill in some details that underscore the basic elements of the narrative that we've recounted before. There are definitely some significant details that are being added."
- "I was up the entire night before the hurricane began to bear down," Raskin said. "We were all set to go, and then the hurricane laid waste to the best laid plans."
