Jan. 6 hearing makes case Trump at 'center of this conspiracy' to overturn election

Thursday marked the House select committee's first prime-time hearing.

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol held its first prime-time hearing on Thursday.

The hearing featured never-before-seen video footage and witness testimony as lawmakers aim to explain what they call a "coordinated, multi-step effort" by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.


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Cheney slams Kushner for downplaying resignation threats by WH lawyers as 'whining'

Among several clips of taped testimony with Trump aides, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., played one of Jared Kushner telling the committee that he dismissed White House counsel Pat Cipollone's "multiple" threats to resign when asked if he was aware on any instances.

"Like I said, my interest at that time was on trying to get as many pardons done, and I know that he was always, him and the team, were always saying oh we are going to resign," Kushner said. "'We are not going to be here if this happens, if that happens' … . So, I kind of took it up to just be whining, to be honest with you."

Cheney slammed Kushner's response.

"Whining," she repeated.

"There is a reason why people serving in our government take an oath to the Constitution," she said. "And that oath must mean something."

-ABC News' Benjamin Siegel


Powerful video compilation prompts short recess

The House select committee played a 10-minute video compilation including never-before-seen footage of rioters violently breaching the Capitol overlaid with law enforcement officers calling for backup, and Trump calling the crowd "loving."

In chronological order, the video followed the timeline of the day: from Trump speaking at his "Save America" rally to the joint session of Congress being gaveled in -- leading up to rioters clashing with police and storming the Capitol, prompting lawmakers to take cover.

Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, one of several officers in the hearing room who defended the Capitol, was seen wiping away tears before Chairman Bennie Thompson called a short recess.

Some members of Congress watching in the public seats teared up, clearly rocked with emotion by the horrific memory.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., held tissues in her hands. Around the hearing room, people shook their heads yet intently watched the footage.

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders


Committee says multiple Republicans sought presidential pardons after attack

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said for the first time publicly that multiple Republican members of Congress reached out to the Trump White House to ask for presidential pardons in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack, including Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa.

"Multiple other Republican congressmen also sought presidential pardons for their roles in attempting to overturn the 2020 election," she added.

As with other House Republicans, Perry has refused to cooperate with the committee's investigation through voluntary requests and a congressional subpoena.

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders


Cheney issues warning to fellow Republicans

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., had a message for her colleagues who continue to defend Trump and his false election claims.

"Tonight I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain," Cheney said.

Cheney also had a message for the American people as they watch these hearings unfold over the next several weeks.

"Please remember what is at stake," she said. "Remember the men and women who have fought and died so that we can live under the rule of law and not the rule of men."