House of Representatives’ Jan. 6 Committee Postpones Wednesday Hearing

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) arrives for hearing on "the January 6th Investigation" on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 12, 2022. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The House of Representatives committee that is investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol has postponed its final hearing, which was slated to take place on Sept. 27.

“In light of Hurricane Ian bearing down on parts of Florida, we have decided to postpone tomorrow’s proceedings. We’re praying for the safety of all those in the storm’s path,” the panel said in a statement.

“The Select Committee will soon announce a date for the postponed proceedings,” it added.

Hurricane Ian is forecast to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday evening.

Millions of Florida residents have evacuated to try to avoid the storm.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told a press conference that some areas will see “catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge.” The National Weather Service says “life-threatening storm surge looks increasingly likely,” with the areas most likely to see the impacts being from Fort Myers to the Tampa Bay region. High winds and heavy rain are also expected.

Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), one of the Jan. 6 panel members, represents portions of Seminole and Orange counties. The hurricane is forecast to cause issues for those counties.

Hearing

The panel’s hearing had been scheduled to take place at 1 p.m.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) previously told reporters the hearing would probably be the final one.

The midterm elections are set to take place in November. Many political experts believe Democrats will lose control of the House in the elections. Republicans have repeatedly criticized the panel’s work and have signaled that they plan to focus on other matters if they flip the lower chamber, including the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Jan. 6 panel was launched by Democrats in the House. The select committee only contains two Republicans, Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.). Both were picked by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Pelosi rejected some of the members proposed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), prompting McCarthy to pull his slate of picks.

The panel has primarily focused on former President Donald Trump’s efforts to challenge the electoral votes from some states. The panel has interviewed hundreds of people, including many former Trump administration officials. Panel members have said they plan to release a report on their investigation.