The Jan. 6 committee is reportedly considering holding its upcoming public hearings during primetime hours, according to Bloomberg News and Axios.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), who chairs the committee, told Bloomberg News that the panel views the potential decision as a way for the public to have “the best opportunity” to hear testimony and evaluate evidence.
“Maybe a series of hearings,” Thompson told Bloomberg News on Tuesday. “The public needs to know, needs to hear from people under oath about what led up to Jan. 6, and to some degree, what has continued after Jan. 6.”
Thompson added that the public hearings could happen in late March or early April, but the committee is still “working toward” a set date.
An unnamed committee aide made similar remarks to Axios, saying that members continue to discuss potential formats and timings for the public hearings.
The aide said that the panel views the upcoming hearings as “one of its most important opportunities to lay out facts and provide answers to the American people” about the deadly Capitol insurrection and its causes.
“[W]e want to tell a story … reaching as many people as we can. The Select Committee’s business meetings so far have been held in the evening, and that’s certainly an option … for future hearings,” the aide told Axios.
Airing public hearings during primetime hours would be a novel move; most congressional hearings are held during the day.
But after the committee revealed former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ damning texts related to his involvement in Trump’s attempts to subvert the election results, it reportedly began considering holding more, similar presentations, including the public hearings, in the new year. The committee is aiming to deliver an interim report on the events surrounding the deadly Capitol insurrection well before the 2022 midterms.
