Ivanka Trump to give evidence to committee probing Capitol insurrection
5 April 2022, 17:54
The ousted president’s daughter expected to give evidence virtually as the panel works to compile a record of the attack.
Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka is set to give evidence to the congressional committee investigating the insurrection at the US Capitol in Washington, according to sources.
She is expected to give evidence virtually as the committee compiles a record of the attack on January 6 2021, the worst on the Capitol in more than 200 years, when the former president’s supporters interrupted the electoral college count and tried to halt the certification of the 2020 election for Joe Biden.
Ms Trump was with her father for much of that day, and the panel has focused much of its time on his actions in the White House as his supporters were breaking into the Capitol.
Ms Trump’s decision to co-operate is significant for the committee, which has been trying to secure an interview with her since late January.
The panel has conducted 800 interviews, but the one with the former president’s daughter, a trusted aide, is among the most high profile as the committee races to complete its work.
Her evidence, like others before the committee, will be private. Public hearings are expected to begin this summer.
Legislators have said they want to discuss what Ms Trump knew about her father’s efforts, including a telephone call they say she witnessed, to pressure then-vice president Mike Pence to reject those results, as well as concerns she may have heard from Mr Pence’s staff, members of Congress and the White House counsel’s office.
Her appearance comes less than a week after her husband, Jared Kushner, gave evidence to the nine-member panel in a virtual meeting that lasted more than six hours.
Members of the committee said his evidence was helpful and are hoping to fill in the gaps with Ms Trump’s help.
Ivanka Trump’s cooperation stands in contrast with some of her father’s other top advisers, several of whom have refused to cooperate as the former president has fought the probe.
Mr Trump has tried to exert executive privilege over documents and interviews, but in many cases has been overruled by courts or President Biden, who has that authority as the sitting president.
The House is expected to vote this week to recommend contempt charges for Trump advisers Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino, both of whom the committee says have been uncooperative.
The committee previously voted to recommend contempt charges against longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon, who defied a congressional subpoena, and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who ceased cooperating with the panel.
Steve Bannon was later indicted by a federal grand jury and is awaiting prosecution by the Justice Department. The Justice Department has not taken any action against Mr Meadows.
Other witnesses who are still close to the former president — and several who were in the White House that day — have declined to answer the committee’s questions.
