Rep. Liz Cheney ends hearing with bombshell: Donald Trump called a witness in the House January 6 investigation

Former President Donald Trump tried to call a witness in the congressional inquiry into the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, Rep. Liz Cheney said Tuesday, prompting House investigators to notify the Justice Department.

“After our last hearing, President Trump tried to call a witness in our investigation a witness you have not yet seen in these hearings. That person declined to answer or respond to President Trump’s call and, instead, alerted their lawyer to the call,” said Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, in a bombshell revelation that concluded the House January 6 committee’s seventh public hearing.

“Their lawyer alerted us, and this committee has supplied that information to the Department of Justice,” she added. “Let me say one more time: We will take any effort to influence witness testimony very seriously.”

Indeed, Cheney had previously gone public with the House January 6 committee’s concerns about witness tampering as it continues to investigate the Capitol attack and Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. At the House panel’s previous hearing, Cheney revealed evidence that Trump allies were pressuring witnesses, a “practice that raises significant concern,” she said.

Without identifying specific individuals, Cheney said Trump allies have urged witnesses to do “the right thing” ahead of appearances before the House January 6 committee.

“I think most Americans know that attempting to influence witnesses to testify untruthfully presents very serious concerns,” Cheney said at the committee’s June 28 hearing.

It is unclear whether the House January 6 committee alerted the Justice Department to Trump’s call in the form of a formal referral.A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This is a developing story.