The House
Select Committee probing the riots at Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021 will
conduct a hearing Thursday, October 13, the last one before the United States
heads to the midterm elections in November. The hearing is critical in
providing a comprehensive narrative on what led to the Capitol riots and its broad
impact on American democracy as the electorate gets ready to vote in a new
Congress.

The last
hearing will posit Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United
States of America, as a clear and present danger to democracy, CNN reported
citing multiple sources.

At Thursday’s
hearing, there will be no witnesses. Instead, the hearing will be geared
towards testimony collected and evidence gathered since the last hearing that
took place in July. Since, then, the House Select Committee has interviewed a
number of former members of the Trump administration. Testimonies of former
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin, and
former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao may be presented.

Moreover, the
committee has received over a million communications from the Secret Service on
events leading up to the riots.

“We discovered
through our work through this summer what the President’s intentions were, what
he knew, what he did, what others did,” House Select Committee member Zoe
Lofgren told CNN.  

A lot has
changed in US politics vis a vis Donald Trump since the committee last convened
in July. The Department of Justice has initiated an investigation into the former
president with regard to apparent mishandling and retention of sensitive
government documents.

“There remains
a clear and present danger to our electoral system and to democratic
institutions. So, that is something that will come through in our final
hearing. This is not ancient history we are talking about, this is a continuing
threat,” Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin told CNN.

“I think the
single most urgent question is OK, what is the continuing clear and present
danger we face now from the forces Donald Trump has unleashed,” he added.