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WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee on Jan. 6 will share 20 of the transcripts of its interviews with the Justice Department as federal prosecutors increasingly focus on attempts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the election results.
A commission aide said the group would share the 20 transcripts, but “there are no plans to share additional transcripts at this time.” The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential deal, did not say which interviews the committee shared.
The information sharing comes after the commission rejected a request from the Justice Department for transcripts in May. At the time, the committee’s chairman, Rep. Benny Thompson of Mississippi, said it was “premature” for the committee to share its work because the group’s study was ongoing.
Since then, the panel has been negotiating an agreement on the documents as the department stepped up its investigations. Several senior aides to former Vice President Mike Pence have appeared before a federal grand jury and prosecutors have seized records from a group of Republicans who served as fake voters in battleground states won by President Joe Biden. Trump and his allies pressured officials in those states to replace duly elected Biden voters with those who supported him while raising allegations that his victory was stolen.
It remains unclear whether prosecutors may seek criminal charges against Trump, who denies any wrongdoing.
Attorney General Merrick Garland, who is facing mounting pressure from congressional Democrats to bring charges against the former president, said prosecutors will hold anyone accountable — regardless of their position — if they broke the law.
In an interview with NBC News this week, Garland said the Justice Department would “bring to justice anyone who is criminally responsible for interfering with the peaceful transition of power from one administration to another.”
The commission has not said whether it plans to eventually share all of its transcripts with the Justice Department or the public. The panel has conducted more than 1,000 interviews since January 6, but not all of them have been officially recorded.
The Justice Department declined to comment Friday on the transcripts.
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