At 1st Jan. 6 committee hearing, police officers recount brutal, racist attack by Trump mob
Calling Trump supporters "terrorists," they said they feared for their lives.
Despite Republican opposition, the House select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol held its first hearing on Tuesday.
Lawmakers listened to dramatic, emotional accounts from law enforcement officers who defended the building against the mob of Trump supporters.
The House voted to form the select committee to which Speaker Nancy Pelosi has appointed eight members -- six Democrats and two Republicans, Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who broke from the GOP to vote in favor of creating the panel.
Here is how the day unfolded:
Chairman: 'This threat hasn't gone away'
At the end of a video with never-before-seen footage of the attack, one rioter said they'll be back, which Thompson said was a warning that "this threat hasn’t gone away" but "looms over our democracy like a dark cloud."
Thompson closed his opening statement by saying while the attack was fueled by a "vile, vile lie," his committee will be a beacon for uncovering the truth of that day.
"The rioters who tried to rob us of our democracy were propelled here by a lie. As Chairman of this Committee, I will not give that lie any fertile ground," he said.
"We cannot allow ourselves to be undone by liars and cheaters. This is the United States of America," he added.
Chairman opens hearing with praise for officers, new video
Opening the hearing, Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said there's "no place for politics or partisanship" in their investigation and praised the police officers for testifying for the panel.
"For appearing here, and more importantly, for your heroism on Jan. 6, you have the gratitude of this committee and this country. You held the line that day, and I can’t overstate what was on the line: our democracy. You held the line," he said.
"We’re going to revisit some of those moments today, and it won’t be easy," Thompson added. "But history will remember your names and your actions."
Thompson proceeded to play video from Jan. 6 showing the officers defending the Capitol from a violent, pro-Trump mob, intermixed with their pleas to each other over their radios.
"Just describing that attack doesn’t come close to capturing what actually took place that day, so we’re going to see some of what our witnesses saw on Jan. 6," he said.
Hearing gets underway
The House select committee’s first hearing is underway.
Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., will each deliver opening statements ahead of testimony from four police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Cheney will speak in place of Republicans, whose ranking member would typically be given an opportunity to make opening remarks after the committee chair -- but House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy pulled his members from the panel, leaving only Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who took appointments from Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Tuesday’s hearing is expected to go two to three hours and will feature new video elements from the attack.
Chairman: Subpoenas for Trump, Ivanka, McCarthy possible
Ahead of the hearing, Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., left the door open to subpoenas for the former president and those close to him on Jan. 6.
"Wherever the investigation leads us," Thompson told ABC News Correspondent Kyra Phillips, when asked also about subpoenas for the House GOP leader and Ivanka Trump. "We will look at who made phone calls to the White House that day, we'll look at whether or not there were any text messages, where there any emails -- all of that is part of the investigation."
Thompson said the August recess for the committee will include a lot of work and include conversations with Attorney General Merrick Garland and the White House.
"We are looking for a cooperative investigation, so whatever it takes to get that cooperation we plan to do," he said.