The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Jan. 6 panel escalates showdown with Trump over influencing witnesses

Rep. Liz Cheney put Trump allies on notice for witness tampering. Then Trump allegedly made a call himself.

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July 12, 2022 at 7:48 p.m. EDT
The Jan. 6, 2021 House committee held its latest public hearing on July 12, focusing on how President Donald Trump summoned far-right militant groups to D.C. (Video: Mahlia Posey/The Washington Post, Photo: Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post)

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) ended Tuesday’s hearing of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol with a direct warning to former president Donald Trump.

Sometime in the past two weeks, Cheney said, Trump tried to call someone whom she identified as a witness who has not yet appeared in the committee’s hearings. The person didn’t take the call and instead alerted their lawyer, who in turn told the committee. The committee reported the call to the Justice Department, Cheney said, suggesting the possibility of a crime.