Jan. 6 committee interviews rioter, former Oath Keeper

The Democrat-dominated House select committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021, on Tuesday interviewed Stephen Ayres, a self-described family man who has pleaded guilty to breaching the U.S. Capitol, and former Oath Keepers spokesman Jason Van Tatenhove. They sat side-by-side and answered questions from lawmakers. Ayres said, in hindsight, he acted like someone “with horse blinders on” as he participated in the group that broke into the Capitol, only leaving when then-President Donald Trump tweeted “go home.” Van Tatenhove, who quit Oath Keepers before its involvement in the riot, said the group grew more radical over the years and that the violence could have been worse that day.

What did Republicans have to say Tuesday? A Twitter account for the Republican National Committee published a video — retweeted by RNC co-chair Tommy Hicks — that sought to show Democrats rejecting the results of the 2000, 2004, and 2016 presidential elections, as well as multiple gubernatorial elections in 2018. In closing statements, Rep. Liz Cheney, the Jan. 6 committee co-chairwoman and one of its two Republicans, said an attorney for one unidentified witness claims Trump tried to call his client directly after the June 28 hearing, but the witness declined the call.

Dig Deeper: Listen to WORLD’s Kent Covington, Mary Reichard, and Nick Eicher discuss the evidence being presented at the Jan. 6 hearings on The World and Everything in It podcast.