Roger Stone claims Steve Bannon blackmailed Trump to get pardon
The Jan 6 select committee’s next public hearing, which is scheduled for primetime this Thursday, will reportedly feature two former White House aides who will testify as to what the ex-president was doing while a mob of his supporters violently stormed the US Capitol.
The hearing, which committee member Jamie Raskin said would be a “moment of reckoning” for the US, is set to focus on Mr Trump’s inaction during the attack. The two aides in question are Matthew Pottinger, former deputy national security adviser, and Sarah Matthews, a former press aide.
The panel has already showcased witness testimony about the former president’s behaviour during the riot, including that he refused to send a tweet calling the crowd off and that he may have suggested they were right to call for Mike Pence to be hanged.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s ally Steve Bannon faces the start of his trial on criminal contempt of Congress. The former president’s longtime lieutenant and hardcore right-wing agitator refused to comply with the House select committee’s subpoena, and his various last-ditch efforts to head off or delay the trial have failed.
