How Donald Trump’s interaction with January 6 committee could unfold

Donald Trump may the next big thing for the January 6 committee in its investigation of the Capitol riots. The probe panel has all the correct reasons to summon the former President but has been blocked by executive privilege so far.

The probe has interviewed more than 1,000 people and reviewed more than 100,000 pages of documents since the committee was formed more than a year ago. These include close allies of Trump and even his family members, reports suggest.

The committee proceedings would only gain momentum if Trump agrees to cooperate with the subpoenas sent by the January 6 committee. Like some of his allies, it is expected that the former President may challenge the summons at first.

If he agrees to cooperate, the investigating panel has already hinted that it has evidence that could link Trump to a federal crime. 

It is unlikely that Trump would openly share the details of what happened at the White House on January 6 when the US Capitol was under attack. If summoned, he is expected to frequently invoke executive privilege to not answer any controversial questions.

How has Trump reacted so far?

The former President has so far not been summoned by the January 6 committee but has often reacted to its proceedings, including attempts to block insights that could potentially be treated as evidence.

Trump has openly criticised the House of Representatives panel, tried to challenge its existence in court and attempted to assert executive privilege over White House papers and any conversations he had with his aides — demands that would certainly apply to his morning call with Pence.

Where is the evidence coming from?

Most of the evidence that has been found by the January 6 committee has come from close aides of Trump, including White House staff and members of his administration. 

A huge chunk of evidence that ties Trump directly to the Capitol riots came from thousands of texts from Mark Meadows, the former President’s chief of staff. Other individuals include special assistant Cassidy Hutchinson and former VP Mike Pence’s chief counsel Greg Jacob. 

The committee has also reportedly interacted with two of Trump’s children — Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. Both of them were with the former President when the Capitol was under attack.