Jan. 6 committee member previews details in panel’s upcoming report

By Annie Grayer, CNN

The final report from the House select committee investigating January 6, 2021, will include information about Republican National Committee fundraising directly after the 2020 presidential election, what Secret Service knew ahead of the attack and the response by the National Guard, committee member Rep. Pete Aguilar said in a wide-ranging interview that aired exclusively on “CNN This Morning.”

“Those are all important aspects that we look forward to highlighting and sharing at the conclusion of our work,” the California Democrat who serves on the House select committee said.

The comments from Aguilar expand on themes the committee has presented in its previous hearings and detail to a new level what is expected to appear in the final report. Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who chairs the committee, has previously told CNN the panel’s final report, which is expected to be released by the end of the year, will contain eight chapters.

Aguilar, who will be the third highest ranking House Democrat in the next Congress as the incoming Democratic Caucus chair, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that some information in the report will be redacted due to security concerns.

“There are some aspects that are law enforcement sensitive that may be redacted in some small ways, but our intention is to ensure that that this material gets out into the public and that people get to see the material by which we have made conclusions and recommendations on,” Aguilar said.

He added that “there have been some conversations with people who came before us, where we indicated we would redact some small pieces,” such as current workplaces, that were important to protect.

Aguilar would not confirm if the panel would criminally refer former President Donald Trump, but he did acknowledge, “We’re all very mindful of who is responsible” for what happened on January 6.

“We have laid out in our hearings the role that the former president played on January 6,” Aguilar added, outlining how Trump told his supporters to go to the Capitol. “That’s not lost on any of us, but we have some work to do and we want to make sure that we get this right.”

The interview with Aguilar was conducted before CNN reported that the panel was considering criminal referrals for Trump and a number of his closest allies.

Fellow committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland told CNN Wednesday that the panel is still working to determine where it will “draw the line” when it comes to issuing criminal referrals, adding there is a “broad universe” of potential offenses and offenders. But Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, also a committee member, told CNN there is a “consensus among the members” regarding referrals and that members are taking a unified approach on that front.

Asked about former Vice President Mike Pence having ruled out speaking to the committee but considering speaking to the Department of Justice, Aguilar said: “I think it’s sad that he didn’t want to come to us.”

“It’s a co-equal branch of government,” Aguilar said.

“That he didn’t want to share his story with us, that he was comfortable doing it in town halls, on TV or in his book, and potentially as you mentioned with DOJ, but he didn’t want to share it to the American public in what we have to share? That’s too bad,” he said.

Looking ahead to the next Congress, Aguilar left the door open for Democrats to potentially cross party lines and align with a more moderate House Republican to challenge House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for the House speakership.

“Give me some names and find me some moderate Republicans, and I’m happy to have conversations with them. Let’s see,” Aguilar said, emphasizing that he is ready to work with Republicans where possible.

Pressed by Collins on whether such work could actually happen, Aguilar replied, “No, let’s see what happens.”

Aguilar, who is part of a new generation of Democratic leadership, will make history as the highest-ranking Latino in Congress.

“It means a lot,” he said. “It means a lot for me personally, but it also means a lot to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. And to the millions of Latinos across the country.”

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