Congressional committees investigate specific matters of policy and government administration or performance. They conduct public hearings and publish reports. They also provide an opportunity for organisations and individuals to participate in the policy-making process by submitting a petition or written evidence, which is considered as part of the decision-making process.
After more than a year of work and interviews with thousands of witnesses, the House panel investigating the Jan 6 Capitol attack on Monday began to release some of its conclusions and criminal referrals. The panel’s final report will be released in full on Dec 22, but the summary has already triggered some reactions from President Trump and his supporters, who argue that the investigation is a partisan exercise meant to damage the GOP ahead of midterm elections in November.
The panel has already referred two people to the Justice Department: former White House strategist Stephen Bannon and Mark Meadows, who refused to comply with committee requests for documents related to Jan 6. It is weighing other potential criminal referrals, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstructing an official proceeding and inciting or encouraging an insurrection, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The committee’s work is expected to continue through the fall. A rough timeline being discussed among staffers includes a series of public hearings starting this winter and stretching into spring, followed by a possible interim report released in the summer, and then a final report coming out before Nov. 6, when political prognosticators expect Republicans to retake the House, which would likely shut down the investigation. The committee is also focusing on whether anyone raised money for the events surrounding Jan. 6 while knowing the claims of election fraud were false.
One of the main sticking points is the issue of executive privilege, which allows a president to withhold information from congressional investigators under certain circumstances. The panel has asked for access to 800 pages of communications with the White House regarding its Jan. 6 inquiry, but the Trump administration has argued that the material is protected by executive privilege and that it would be unwise to release it in advance of the election.
The committee is also considering a bill to reform the law of contempt of Congress, which the panel believes is outdated and confusing. The bill would make it easier for the panel to hold hearings in the future and increase the maximum sentence for contempt from a year in prison to 10 years.