It looks like members of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, were interested in more than seeing Kimberly Guilfoyle’s phone records, opting to hear from the woman herself.

Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancée was questioned about her participation in former President Donald Trump’s rally that preceded the deadly  attack on the capitol, in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Guilfoyle was testifying before the Jan. 6 committee Friday morning, CNN and MSNBC reported, offering the testimony virtually, MSNBC reported.

It’s not known what specific issues the committee covered with Guilfoyle, but CNN reported last month that the committee had subpoenaed her phone records, marking “a significant escalation of the investigation into Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 insurrection.” CNN said that Guilfoyle’s testimony Friday was “notable” because she hadn’t been publicly issued a subpoena to appear.

The New York Times also reported this week that the committee was in talks to have Ivanka Trump, Trump’s oldest daughter and his former senior adviser, sit for an interview with the panel.

Going after Guilfoyle’s phone records and having her and Ivanka Trump testify signals that the committee was taking “a major step in closing in on the former president’s circle,” CNN reported in January.

In addition to being engaged to Trump Jr., Guilfoyle was a top fundraiser for Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign. Her actions on Jan. 6, 2021 have been under scrutiny since that day.

A former San Francisco prosecutor and the ex-wife of California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, Guilfoyle and Eric Trump, Trump’s second son, played prominent roles in the ex-president’s “Stop the Steal” efforts, CNN said. The former Fox News host reportedly bragged about raising $3 million for the rally, pushing Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen.

Guilfoyle joined Trump Jr. and the president in the Oval Office on the morning of Jan. 6 and “indulged the fantasy that (Mike) Pence would help overturn the election results,” according to The Washington Post.

The family watched on television as the crowd grew at the Ellipse for the president’s “Save America” rally, with Guilfoyle telling Trump that the crowd represented a national consensus.

“They’re just reflecting the will of the people,” she told him. “This is the will of the people.”

After the Trump moved to the rally, Guilfoyle was seen in a video recorded backstage before it began, breaking into a hip-shaking dance, and then encouraging the crowd to “fight” for Trump.

After taking the stage with Trump Jr., she said, “Look at all of us out here, God-loving, freedom-loving, liberty-loving patriots, that will not let them steal this election. We will not allow the liberals and the Democrats to steal our dream or steal our elections.”

In November, ProPublica reported that Guilfoyle bragged over text messages about raising millions for the Jan. 6 rally. According to the messages, Guilfoyle also supported a push to get far-right speakers on the stage alongside Trump, but expressed specific concerns that she might not be allowed to speak.

Guilfoyle’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, denied to ProPublica that the texts were related to the Jan. 6 or that Guilfoyle was involved with fundraising or approving speakers.

The records the committee obtained of Guilfoyle’s phone records do not contain the content or substance of the text messages, but they do show incoming and outgoing calls, and the date, time, and length, as well as a log of texts, CNN reported. That information could prove critical as the committee pieces together what Trump and his inner circle were up to before, during, and after the Capitol attack, CNN said.

Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump also was seen backstage before the rally, conferring with her father. She also was was one of several aides who tried but failed to persuade Trump to call off the violence that was connected to the deaths of seven people and injuries to more than 15 police officers. The violence also sent  lawmakers and the vice president, Mike Pence, fleeing for their lives.

The New York Times reported that Ivanka Trump’s lawyers have been in talks with the committee since January, when the panel sent her a letter requesting that she give voluntary testimony. People close to Ivanka Trump told the Times that she has no intention of following the example of her father’s ally, Stephen Bannon, who refused to cooperate with the committee and then was indicted on contempt of Congress charges.

Source: www.mercurynews.com