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Former President Donald Trump announced he has canceled a press conference scheduled on January 6th, the one-year anniversary of the violent Capitol Hill protests, and will instead express his thoughts at an Arizona rally.
“In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media, I am canceling the January 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally on Saturday, January 15th, in Arizona—It will be a big crowd!” Trump said in a statement Tuesday evening.
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 1: (L-R) Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), chair of the select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
TOP REPUBLICAN CHARGES PELOSI IS RESTRICTING ACCESS TO JAN. 6 RECORDS IN GOP PROBE OF HER ACTIONS
The statement continued: “What has become more and more obvious to ALL is that the LameStream Media will not report the facts that Nancy Pelosi and the Capitol Sergeant-at-Arms denied requests for the D.C. National Guard or Military to be present at the Capitol. Their emails and correspondence with the Department of Defense exist, but the media won’t ask for this evidence, or report the truth! “
Trump went on to accuse Democrats on the January 6 House Select Committee of a “coverup” and labeled Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff “shifty” and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “crazy.”
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 27: Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) (R) and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) (C), joined by fellow committee members, speak to the media following a hearing of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The cancellation comes as some Republicans in Congress expressed concern over the upcoming press conference.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia told Politico. “I guess it depends on what he’s going to say. But early assumptions are that it’s going to be an aggressive statement. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Some Republicans, including Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, took the opposite position and encouraged Trump to hold the press conference.
Former President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower in Manhattan on Oct. 18, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images) (James Devaney/GC Images)
“I welcome it,” Banks told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Monday night. “President Trump has important things to say, I’m looking forward to hearing what President Trump has to say.”
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The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot is set to release an interim report on its findings by the summer of next year.
The committee reportedly “plans to begin holding public hearings in the new year to tell the story of the insurrection from start to finish while crafting an ample interim report on its findings by summer.”
In addition, the committee is weighing whether to propose legislative measures to “help prevent valid election results from being overturned in the future.”
The panel, made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans, has interviewed more than 300 witnesses’ testimonies and obtained more than 35,000 pages of records. The committee has also announced more than 50 subpoenas, many of which were defied.
Fox News’ Kyle Morris contributed to this report