Conflicting explanations over why Wednesday's Jan. 6 committee hearing abruptly postponed

The focus was to be Trump's pressure campaign on the Justice Department.

June 14, 2022, 12:16 PM

The Jan. 6 committee announced Tuesday morning that its hearing set for Wednesday has been postponed -- but conflicting explanations were offered as to why.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., told reporters on Capitol Hill following the committee's announcement that there was no issue with witnesses in moving the hearing but "technical issues."

"It's just technical issues. I mean, we were, you know, the staff putting together all the videos, you know, doing 1-2-3, It was overwhelming, so we're trying to give them a little room," she said. "It's not a big deal."

PHOTO: Rep. Zoe Lofgren speaks as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol meets to reveal its findings of a year-long investigation, at the Capitol in Washington, June 13, 2022.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren speaks as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol meets to reveal its findings of a year-long investigation, at the Capitol in Washington, June 13, 2022.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" earlier, she said "putting together the video exhibits is an exhausting exercise for our very small video staff ... it's just too much to put it all together."

PHOTO: Former Trump campaign Lawyer Rudy Giuliani, is displayed on a screen during a hearing by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol, on June 13, 2022 in Washington, DC.
Former Trump campaign Lawyer Rudy Giuliani, is displayed on a screen during a hearing by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol, on June 13, 2022 in Washington, DC.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

But when asked later if Lofgren's explanation of the hearing postponement is accurate, a committee aide said "no."

The aide said the hearing has been "postponed to accommodate scheduling demands."

Not long after the committee issued a statement saying, "The postponement is due to a number of scheduling factors, including production timeline and availability of members and witnesses."

The hearing's focus was to be then-President Donald Trump's pressure campaign on the Justice Department to back his false claims of election fraud.

Former acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen had accepted an invitation from the Jan. 6 committee to appear at Wednesday's hearing, alongside his then-deputy Richard Donoghue and one of DOJ's former top attorneys Steve Engel, according to a letter obtained by ABC News sent from Rosen's attorney to the committee.

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