<p>Congressional investigators into the Jan 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol on Tuesday will seek to draw connections between then-President Donald Trump's associates and right-wing militants who stormed the seat of government.</p>.<p>The House of Representatives committee's seventh hearing in five weeks will focus on the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, two pro-Trump groups that investigators say helped plan the attack, as well as QAnon, a right-wing conspiracy theory movement.</p>.<p>The hearing, starting at 1 pm ET (1700 GMT), will explore ties between the two groups and Trump aides including Roger Stone and Mike Flynn, according to a committee aide who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.</p>.<p>The Oath Keepers provided security to Stone, a self-described "dirty trickster" who has advised Trump off and on for decades, in Washington on Jan 5 and 6. Flynn, a retired Army general, served as Trump's first national security adviser.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/us-capitol-riot-hearings-to-link-trump-election-plots-to-insurrection-1116680.html" target="_blank">US Capitol riot hearings to link Trump election plots to insurrection</a></strong></p>.<p>The committee's seven Democrats and two Republicans have used the hearings to build a case that Trump's efforts to overturn his defeat in the November 2020 election constitute illegal conduct, far beyond normal politics.</p>.<p>They also have questioned the role of some members of Congress in Trump's Republican Party. In a call with reporters on Monday, committee aides said Tuesday's hearing would explore the involvement of some lawmakers.</p>.<p>The attack on the Capitol, following a speech Trump gave at a rally outside the White House that day, delayed certification of Joe Biden's election for hours, injured more than 140 police officers and led to several deaths.</p>.<p>In response to a request for comment, Stone said he was facing the "tactic of guilt by association."</p>.<p>In an email, he said, "Any assertion that I knew in advance about, was involved in or condoned any of the illegal actions at the Capitol is false. Any claim that I knew from any member of the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers about any plan for illegal activities on January 6th is also false."</p>.<p>An attorney for Flynn did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>.<p>Neither Flynn nor Stone has been charged in connection to the attack on the Capitol and both have invoked their Fifth Amendment constitutional right against self-incrimination before the Jan. 6 committee.</p>.<p>Trump pardoned both after they were convicted or pleaded guilty in cases unrelated to the Capitol attack.</p>.<p><strong>Criminal charges</strong></p>.<p>Several members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers face criminal charges of seditious conspiracy and are scheduled to go to trial later this year.</p>.<p>The two groups gained national attention during Trump's presidency. Trump drew national attention to the Proud Boys when he urged them to "stand back and stand by" during a September 2020 debate as he campaigned against Biden.</p>.<p>About 800 people have been charged with taking part in the Capitol riot, with about 250 guilty pleas so far.</p>.<p>Questioning of witnesses during the hearing will be led by Democratic Representatives Stephanie Murphy and Jamie Raskin. Committee aides declined to name any of Tuesday's witnesses, citing security concerns.</p>.<p>The hearing is expected to feature video testimony from Pat Cipollone, Trump's former White House counsel, who spoke to committee investigators behind closed doors on Friday.</p>.<p>The committee had been expected to hold a second hearing on Thursday evening, but aides said Tuesday's hearing would be the only one this week. The committee will hold another hearing next week, they said.</p>.<p>Trump, who has hinted he may seek the White House again in 2024, denies wrongdoing and has falsely asserted that he lost only because of widespread fraud that benefited Biden.</p>.<p>Trump and his supporters - including many Republicans in Congress - dismiss the Jan. 6 panel as a political witch hunt, but the panel's backers say it is a necessary probe into a violent threat against democracy.</p>
<p>Congressional investigators into the Jan 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol on Tuesday will seek to draw connections between then-President Donald Trump's associates and right-wing militants who stormed the seat of government.</p>.<p>The House of Representatives committee's seventh hearing in five weeks will focus on the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, two pro-Trump groups that investigators say helped plan the attack, as well as QAnon, a right-wing conspiracy theory movement.</p>.<p>The hearing, starting at 1 pm ET (1700 GMT), will explore ties between the two groups and Trump aides including Roger Stone and Mike Flynn, according to a committee aide who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.</p>.<p>The Oath Keepers provided security to Stone, a self-described "dirty trickster" who has advised Trump off and on for decades, in Washington on Jan 5 and 6. Flynn, a retired Army general, served as Trump's first national security adviser.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/us-capitol-riot-hearings-to-link-trump-election-plots-to-insurrection-1116680.html" target="_blank">US Capitol riot hearings to link Trump election plots to insurrection</a></strong></p>.<p>The committee's seven Democrats and two Republicans have used the hearings to build a case that Trump's efforts to overturn his defeat in the November 2020 election constitute illegal conduct, far beyond normal politics.</p>.<p>They also have questioned the role of some members of Congress in Trump's Republican Party. In a call with reporters on Monday, committee aides said Tuesday's hearing would explore the involvement of some lawmakers.</p>.<p>The attack on the Capitol, following a speech Trump gave at a rally outside the White House that day, delayed certification of Joe Biden's election for hours, injured more than 140 police officers and led to several deaths.</p>.<p>In response to a request for comment, Stone said he was facing the "tactic of guilt by association."</p>.<p>In an email, he said, "Any assertion that I knew in advance about, was involved in or condoned any of the illegal actions at the Capitol is false. Any claim that I knew from any member of the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers about any plan for illegal activities on January 6th is also false."</p>.<p>An attorney for Flynn did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>.<p>Neither Flynn nor Stone has been charged in connection to the attack on the Capitol and both have invoked their Fifth Amendment constitutional right against self-incrimination before the Jan. 6 committee.</p>.<p>Trump pardoned both after they were convicted or pleaded guilty in cases unrelated to the Capitol attack.</p>.<p><strong>Criminal charges</strong></p>.<p>Several members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers face criminal charges of seditious conspiracy and are scheduled to go to trial later this year.</p>.<p>The two groups gained national attention during Trump's presidency. Trump drew national attention to the Proud Boys when he urged them to "stand back and stand by" during a September 2020 debate as he campaigned against Biden.</p>.<p>About 800 people have been charged with taking part in the Capitol riot, with about 250 guilty pleas so far.</p>.<p>Questioning of witnesses during the hearing will be led by Democratic Representatives Stephanie Murphy and Jamie Raskin. Committee aides declined to name any of Tuesday's witnesses, citing security concerns.</p>.<p>The hearing is expected to feature video testimony from Pat Cipollone, Trump's former White House counsel, who spoke to committee investigators behind closed doors on Friday.</p>.<p>The committee had been expected to hold a second hearing on Thursday evening, but aides said Tuesday's hearing would be the only one this week. The committee will hold another hearing next week, they said.</p>.<p>Trump, who has hinted he may seek the White House again in 2024, denies wrongdoing and has falsely asserted that he lost only because of widespread fraud that benefited Biden.</p>.<p>Trump and his supporters - including many Republicans in Congress - dismiss the Jan. 6 panel as a political witch hunt, but the panel's backers say it is a necessary probe into a violent threat against democracy.</p>