January 6 hearing ‘devastating,’ committee made an ‘overwhelming’ case: Joe Biden

The footage and testimony provided at the hearing on January 6 this week were “devastating,” according to US President Joe Biden, who also stated on Saturday that the committee had generally made an “overwhelming” case.

During an unexpected appearance at a Baskin-Robbins in Portland, Oregon, Biden was asked about the hearing. He responded, “I think the testimony, the video are absolutely devastating. And I’ve been going out of my way not to comment, see what happens, but it’s just – I think it’s been devastating.”

Also read: Jan 6th committee asks Secret Service for details of communications with Oath Keepers

New information and testimony from former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who claimed that the then-President Donald Trump knew he had lost his bid for reelection even as he persisted in trying to overturn the results, were presented at the House Select Committee’s final hearing before the midterm elections in their investigation into the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Video of congressional leaders attempting to respond to the attack on the Capitol as they took cover by avoiding Trump and coordinating with other federal and local government officials to halt the violence was shown during Thursday’s hearing, along with fresh proof of a Trump plan to declare victory regardless of the outcome.

Also read: Nancy Pelosi worries about ‘poo poo’ left behind by Trump supporters in unseen Jan 6 footage

“I mean, the case has been made, it seems to me fairly overwhelming,” Biden said.

The President, who doesn’t often address January 6, continued to condemn the attack in his remarks on Saturday.

Biden, who has previously stated that he won’t meddle with the Justice Department’s independence, declined to make any further comments and reaffirmed that he had “at all” spoken to Attorney General Merrick Garland about the situation.

Also read: January 6th committee releases unseen footage of Congressional leaders during riot: Watch

The January 6 committee also decided to subpoena Trump for papers and testimony on Thursday, which was an uncommon action. The former President is unlikely to abide by the subpoena, but the committee can use it to lay down a marker and signal that it wants information straight from Trump as the panel looks into the attack.

A final report is being developed as a result of the select committee’s investigation, although it is still unclear what form it will take or when it would be made public. According to sources cited by CNN, the panel has not yet decided whether or not to send any criminal cases to the Department of Justice.