Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the House committee chair investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, received a threatening letter at his office in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, ahead of the next scheduled panel hearing on Oct. 13.
The Capitol Police said a letter sent to Thompson included “concerning language,” and prompted evacuations. Eventually, the police declared an “all clear,” as the letter contained nothing harmful, but investigators still want to know who and why the letter was sent.
“We just screened (the letter) and determined it not to have anything dangerous inside. Powder was not found inside,” the Capitol Police said on Twitter.
The threat came just two days before the panel’s first public session since the summer, when lawmakers worked through a series of eight televised hearings that attracted millions of viewers and touched on nearly every aspect of the Capitol insurrection.
The panel — comprised of seven Democrats and two Republicans — has not yet provided an agenda, but has promised “significant new witness testimony” and revelations about Save America PAC, Trump’s chief fundraising vehicle.
The committee is aiming to wrap up its work by the end of the year and issue a final report and legislative recommendations, but its investigative work is not yet complete as lawmakers explore several unanswered questions.
Panel members still want to get to the bottom of missing Secret Service texts from Jan. 5-6, 2021, which could shed further light on Trump’s actions during the insurrection, particularly after earlier testimony about his confrontation with security as he tried to join supporters at the Capitol.
Another decision for the committee, which includes two Republican critics of Trump, is how aggressively to pursue testimony from Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. Some members have downplayed the value of their testimony or the feasibility of success.
If Republicans win control of the House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections, they are expected to dissolve the committee in the new session beginning in January.
