U.S.: JANUARY 6 PANEL TO SHARE 20 TRANSCRIPTS WITH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

The House committee investigating the January 6 assault on the US Capitol will share 20 transcripts from its witness interviews with the Department of Justice (DOJ), the chairman of the committee told reporters on Friday.

The move is the latest sign that the criminal investigation into the officials from former president Donald Trump’s administration and his associates for their role in the 2021 Capitol riot is heating up.

Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, said the justice department has sought the transcripts and they negotiated on the issue.

The two sides have been discussing the sharing of evidence since at least May and Thompson had initially shown reluctance to turn over what the committee had collected until its work was complete.

He believes the transcripts involve “persons of interest” that the DOJ may be considering bringing criminal charges against for their alleged role in orchestrating or failing to respond to the violent riot which threatened to disrupt the official counting of the 2020 election results.

“I am not certain who the 20 will be,” Thompson said.

“I would generally say they would probably be persons of interest.”

He said DOJ initially was interested in the issue of Trump and his associates working to establish fake electors in the 2020 count and the committee entered into negotiations about which transcripts and when they would be turned over.

“We have no plans to share additional transcripts at this time,” said a committee spokesman, Tim Mulvey.

He said the committee is not naming which witness transcripts are being turned over. The committee says it has interviewed or deposed more than 1,000 people.