The House January 6 committee's investigation of Trump

Gone quiet · last story Aug 5, 2022

The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol won access to Trump's White House records, held public hearings in the summer of 2022 on his push to overturn the 2020 election, and weighed referring him for prosecution.[1][2][3]

Photo from Courthouse News Service, with Supreme Court allows Jan. 6 committee to get Trump documents (Jan 19, 2022), the story with the most sources this week.
What this arc covers

The House select committee that investigated the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol: its fights for Trump's White House records, which the Supreme Court refused to block in January 2022, its subpoenas to Trump aides and the contempt referrals of those who refused, the Justice Department's decisions on charging them, its public hearings in the summer of 2022 on Trump's pressure on the Justice Department, the testimony about his contact with a witness, and Rep. Liz Cheney's talk of criminal referrals of Trump.

Earliest story we hold Jan 19, 2022 · 10 stories · 80 sources (counted once each) · 198 days

Part ofDonald TrumpUnited States Department of JusticeLiz CheneySupreme Court of the United StatesMark MeadowsPeter Navarro

Background

In January 2022 the Supreme Court cleared the way for the release of presidential records from the Trump White House to the committee, and in February it rejected his bid to shield them, ending that legal fight.[1][4] Coverage on this site begins in January 2022, so the committee's creation and its first subpoenas in 2021 appear here only where later stories describe them.

Read the full background

The committee also pursued former aides who defied it. The Justice Department told the panel in June that it would not charge Mark Meadows or Dan Scavino, whom the committee had found in contempt,[5] while the former adviser Peter Navarro was subpoenaed by a federal over his refusal to comply with the committee's .[6]

At its fifth hearing that June, former Justice Department leaders testified that Trump had pressed the department to pursue his false claims of election fraud, and notes by a former acting deputy attorney general recorded him telling officials to "just say that the election was corrupt."[7][8] In July Rep. Liz Cheney, the panel's vice chair, said it could make several criminal referrals, including of Trump,[3] and that Trump had tried to contact a witness, which the committee reported to the Justice Department.[9] In August she warned against a decision not to prosecute Trump if the facts and the evidence supported charges.[10]

Supporting stories (10)
  1. Supreme Court allows Jan. 6 committee to get Trump documents
  2. 1/6 panel to hear of Trump's pressure on Justice Dept.
  3. Cheney says January 6 committee could make multiple criminal referrals, including of Trump
  4. Supreme Court rejects Trump's bid to shield January 6 records, bringing end to legal battle
  5. DOJ declines to charge Meadows and Scavino with contempt of Congress
  6. Ex-Trump adviser Peter Navarro subpoenaed in DOJ's 1/6 probe
  7. January 6 hearing: Trump pressured Justice Department to call election 'corrupt'
  8. January 6 hearing: Panel to hear of Trump's pressure on Justice Department
  9. Cheney: Trump attempted to contact Jan. 6 witness
  10. Cheney says DOJ not prosecuting Trump if there's evidence could call into question the US as 'nation of laws'

Overview updated Oct 17, 2026

Part of Trump and elections

  1. The House January 6 committee's investigation of TrumpThis arcJan 19 – Aug 5, 2022
  2. The SAVE Act in Congress, the bill to require proof of citizenship to voteJul 10, 2024 – Aug 8, 2026
  3. Trump's orders to require proof of citizenship and limit mail votingMar 25, 2025 – Oct 2, 2026
  4. The Trump administration's voter-roll suits and its hunt for noncitizen votersSep 17, 2025 – Oct 16, 2026
  5. The Supreme Court case over counting mail ballots that arrive after Election DayNov 10, 2025 – Jun 29, 2026
  6. The FBI's seizure of Fulton County's 2020 election ballotsJan 28 – Jul 7, 2026

Where it standsnewest first · each bar runs left to right by leaning

Aug 52022Cheney says DOJ not prosecuting Trump if there's evidence could call into question the US as 'nation of laws'7 articles · 6 sources
1 left, 4 center, 1 right
Jul 12– 142022Cheney: Trump attempted to contact Jan. 6 witness55 articles · 36 sources
18 left, 13 center, 4 right
Jul 3– 42022Cheney says January 6 committee could make multiple criminal referrals, including of Trump20 articles · 13 sources
3 left, 8 center, 2 right

Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below

  1. Jan 19 – 20, 2022Supreme Court allows Jan. 6 committee to get Trump documents87 articles · 58 sources
  2. May 31, 2022Ex-Trump adviser Peter Navarro subpoenaed in DOJ's 1/6 probe40 articles · 28 sources
  3. Jun 23, 20221/6 panel to hear of Trump's pressure on Justice Dept.34 articles · 21 sources
  4. Jun 23 – 24, 2022January 6 hearing: Trump pressured Justice Department to call election 'corrupt'27 articles · 15 sources
  5. Jul 12 – 14, 2022Cheney: Trump attempted to contact Jan. 6 witness55 articles · 36 sources

Who covered it, over timeshare of the sources publishing each week, by side

Jan 17, 2022 - Aug 7, 2022

Share of the sources publishing each week that covered it

0%10%20%30%40%50%
Jan 17, 2022Aug 1, 2022

LeftCenterRight

Week of Aug 1, 2022 - Aug 7, 2022: 1 left, 4 center, 1 right, 3% of the sources that published that week · 7 articles

Show every week as a table
WeekLeftCenterRightArticlesShare
Jan 17, 2022 - Jan 23, 2022182998530%
Jan 24, 2022 - Jan 30, 202200000%
Jan 31, 2022 - Feb 6, 202200000%
Feb 7, 2022 - Feb 13, 202200000%
Feb 14, 2022 - Feb 20, 202200000%
Feb 21, 2022 - Feb 27, 202241062%
Feb 28, 2022 - Mar 6, 202200000%
Mar 7, 2022 - Mar 13, 202200000%
Mar 14, 2022 - Mar 20, 202200000%
Mar 21, 2022 - Mar 27, 202200000%
Mar 28, 2022 - Apr 3, 202200000%
Apr 4, 2022 - Apr 10, 202200000%
Apr 11, 2022 - Apr 17, 202200000%
Apr 18, 2022 - Apr 24, 202200000%
Apr 25, 2022 - May 1, 202200000%
May 2, 2022 - May 8, 202200000%
May 9, 2022 - May 15, 202200000%
May 16, 2022 - May 22, 202200000%
May 23, 2022 - May 29, 202200000%
May 30, 2022 - Jun 5, 2022111465617%
Jun 6, 2022 - Jun 12, 202200000%
Jun 13, 2022 - Jun 19, 202200000%
Jun 20, 2022 - Jun 26, 2022161268016%
Jun 27, 2022 - Jul 3, 2022371156%
Jul 4, 2022 - Jul 10, 202204153%
Jul 11, 2022 - Jul 17, 2022181345418%
Jul 18, 2022 - Jul 24, 202200000%
Jul 25, 2022 - Jul 31, 202200000%
Aug 1, 2022 - Aug 7, 202214173%

Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.

36% left · 48% center · 16% right of 80 sources on the spectrum, across 10 stories.

Every storyoldest first

  1. January 2022

    Jan 19– 20Supreme Court allows Jan. 6 committee to get Trump documents87 articles · 58 sources
    18 left, 29 center, 9 right

  2. February 2022

  3. May 2022

    May 31Ex-Trump adviser Peter Navarro subpoenaed in DOJ's 1/6 probe40 articles · 28 sources
    9 left, 14 center, 4 right

  4. June 2022

    Jun 4DOJ declines to charge Meadows and Scavino with contempt of Congress18 articles · 11 sources
    3 left, 5 center, 2 right
  5. Jun 231/6 panel to hear of Trump's pressure on Justice Dept.34 articles · 21 sources
    7 left, 7 center, 5 right
  6. Jun 23– 24January 6 hearing: Trump pressured Justice Department to call election 'corrupt'27 articles · 15 sources
    8 left, 6 center, 1 right
  7. Jun 23January 6 hearing: Panel to hear of Trump's pressure on Justice Department21 articles · 9 sources
    4 left, 4 center, 1 right

  8. July 2022

    Jul 3– 4Cheney says January 6 committee could make multiple criminal referrals, including of Trump20 articles · 13 sources
    3 left, 8 center, 2 right
  9. Jul 12– 14Cheney: Trump attempted to contact Jan. 6 witness55 articles · 36 sources
    18 left, 13 center, 4 right

  10. August 2022