WASHINGTON (AP) – The eldest son of former President Donald Trump has met with a congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021 uprising in the US Capitol, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Tuesday’s interview with Donald Trump Jr. comes as the bipartisan committee of the House of Representatives approaches the inner circle of family members and political advisers to the former president.
The younger Trump is probably of interest to the commission because of his closeness to his father on the day of the uprising. Donald Trump Jr. was seen behind the scenes at the White House Ellipse Rally, which took place shortly before the then president’s supporters marched on the Capitol and broke through the building.
In several social media videos posted during the January 6 attack, Trump Jr. was seen with Kimberly Guilfoyle – then his girlfriend, now his fiancée – and other members of his family as his father prepares to deliver a speech that according to investigators, he gathered supporters to act violently that day.
The House of Representatives committee also released text messages on Jan. 6 in which Trump Jr. begged the White House to force his father to forcibly condemn the uprising.
“We need an Oval address. He must lead now. He went too far and got out of control, “Trump Jr. wrote to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Trump Jr. is one of nearly 1,000 witnesses the commission interviewed while working on a recording of the worst attack on the Capitol in more than two centuries. He is the second of Trump’s children known to speak before the committee; Sister Ivanka Trump sat with MPs for eight hours in early April. Her husband, Jared Kushner, was also interviewed by the committee.
Other allies of the former president opposed the commission’s subpoenas and were referred to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution on charges of contempt of Congress. One of them, Stephen Bannon, was indicted last year after refusing to cooperate. This case is pending.
A commission of seven Democrats and two Republicans is trying to complete its nearly 11-month investigation and move into the public hearing phase. The hearings are due to begin on June 9 and last for four weeks. Lawmakers expect to call witnesses and present evidence in an attempt to educate the public about the full extent of the attack and Donald Trump’s role in it.
Trump Jr. is no stranger to congressional investigations after testifying at least three times in investigations by the House of Representatives and the Senate into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The two people, who confirmed Trump Jr.’s January 6 interview with the committee, were given anonymity to discuss the private session, which was not announced by the committee.
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Associated Press writer Farnush Amiri contributed to this report.
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