US Representative Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House committee investigating the Capitol riot speaks during a House Select Committee hearing to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol, in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, June 13, 2022.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is postponing its next public hearing due to a major hurricane, the leaders of the panel announced Tuesday.
The hearing, which was scheduled for Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET, will now be held at a later date to be announced, Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Vice Chair Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said in a joint statement.
“In light of Hurricane Ian bearing down on parts of Florida, we have decided to postpone tomorrow’s proceedings,” Thompson and Cheney said.
“We’re praying for the safety of all those in the storm’s path. The Select Committee’s investigation goes forward and we will soon announce a date for the postponed proceedings,” they said.
The delay came after Hurricane Ian, a Category 3 storm expected to wallop Florida with high winds and heavy rainfall, made landfall in Cuba.
Forecasters predict Ian could strengthen to a Category 4 hurricane by Tuesday evening.
The panel’s next hearing will be its ninth, and the first since late July.
The committee is investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, when a violent mob of then-President Donald Trump‘s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. The insurrection forced lawmakers to flee their chambers and temporarily stopped them from confirming President Joe Biden‘s victory over Trump in the 2020 election.
In the now-postponed hearing, the panel was expected to show clips of Roger Stone, a longtime political operative and confidant of Trump’s, talking about challenging the 2020 election results, NBC News reported.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
Read More: House Jan. 6 panel postpones hearing due to Hurricane Ian