Justice Department Clears Way For Trump Officials To Testify About Jan. 6th

There's now a clear path for officials from former President Trump's administration to testify before Congress about the insurrection at the Capitol Jan. 6 and the events that preceded it.

NPR's Carrie Johnson reports that the Justice Department has notified former government officials that it has consulted with the White House counsel's office and that it "would not be appropriate to assert executive privilege with respect to communications with former President Trump and his advisers and staff on matters related to the committee's proposed interviews," according to a person who has read the letter from DOJ official Bradley Weinsheimer.

The decision could clear a path for former Justice Department officials to testify about an attempt to overthrow the acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and replace him with someone sympathetic to the former president's baseless arguments about election fraud in the days before the Jan. 6th Capitol riot.

But it also could portend court challenges by the former president and others with whom he talked on Jan. 6, the person said.

The House select committee investigating the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol is holding its first hearing today. Other Congressional panels have their own investigations underway. [Copyright 2021 NPR]