The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 rioting at the U.S. Capitol formally asked Ivanka Trump to voluntarily answer questions about former President Donald Trump’s behavior during the attack.
The daughter to the former president also served as a top advisor during the 2021 incident.
“The Select Committee wishes to discuss the part of the conversation you observed between President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on the morning of January 6th,” read a letter from the committee.
“Similarly, the Select Committee would like to discuss any other conversations you may have witnessed or participated in regarding the president’s plan to obstruct or impede the counting of electoral votes,” they added.
The request is the first made by the committee to a member of the Trump family. They have also obtained phone records from Eric Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is engaged to be married to Donald Trump Jr.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told Chris Hayes Thursday on MSNBC that there were repeated efforts to try to get the former president to intercede to stop the rioters, and some of those efforts were pointed at his daughter.
“We’re closing in on the target, Chris,” said Raskin about Ivanka Trump.
“Ivanka Trump is a critical figure because she was there in the morning we believe she was there when Donald Trump was still trying to twist Mike Pence’s arm,” he explained.
“And she was also a key figure in trying to get to pull Trump back, apparently,” Raskin concluded. “She could really perhaps complete the portrait of what happened on January 6 for us.”
A spokesperson for Ivanka Trump issued a short statement about the committee’s request:
As the committee already knows, Ivanka did not speak at the Jan. 6 rally. As she publicly stated that day at 3:15 p.m., ‘any security or disrespect to our law enforcement is unacceptable. The violence must stop immediately. Please be peaceful.’
The National Archives said that they were in the process of delivering documents from the Trump administration requested by the committee after the Supreme Court denied the former president’s request to block the committee.
Here’s more about the committee request:
Jan. 6 Committee Asks Ivanka Trump To Give Voluntary Testimony www.youtube.com