The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is rejecting a request from the Justice Department for access to the committee's interviews, for now.
Rep. Bennie Thompson says the Justice Department made the request as part of its ongoing criminal investigation into the attack. But Thompson, the committee's chairman, said on Tuesday it was "premature" for the committee to share its work at this point because the panel's probe is ongoing.
He said the officials could review some materials in a specified location. Justice Department prosecutors have been issuing subpoenas and seeking interviews with people who were involved in planning events leading up to the attack on the Capitol.
The Justice Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland have given no public indication about whether prosecutors might be considering a case against former President Donald Trump. He has vowed, though, to hold accountable “all January 6th perpetrators, at any level” and said that would include those who were “present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy.”
