January 6 hearings: what has inquiry said about Donald Trump and did he have a role in 2021 Capitol riots?

The January 6 committee has revealed shocking facts about the Capitol Hill riot and former president Donald Trump.

The inquiry has heard that Trump refused to call off the group and spent over two hours watching the events unfold on Fox News.

In never before seen text messages, his son, Donald Trump Jr contacted the White House chief of staff telling them he’s “got to condemn this.”

On 6 January 2021 the US capitol was attacked by a mob who had gathered for a rally to dispute the election result at the request of former president Donald Trump.

The carnage that ensued saw America’s seat of democracy overrun by rioters, with at least seven people losing their lives.

The January 6 committee has accused the former president of an “attempted coup.”

Here’s everything you need to know about what the January 6 hearings are and what they have said about Trump.

What are the January 6 hearings?

The January 6 hearings are tasked with investigating the Capitol Hill attack which occurred in 2021.

They will be holding public hearings, which will reveal the evidence they have collected over the past 11 months.

Over 1,000 people were interviewed for the hearings with more than 125,000 documents being reviewed.

Their aim is to uncover what instigated the attack and who is responsible.

When are the hearings taking place?

The hearings were only due to take place in June, but the committee extended its investigation into the summer, with a second round of hearings to come in September.

Committee chair Congressman Bennie Thompson and vice-chair Liz Cheney announced the news on 21 July.

The decision came about after more witnesses decided to come forward.

In a statement Thompson said: “We will reconvene in September to continue laying out our findings to the American people.”

Who is on the January 6 committee?

The January 6 committee are a group of nine elected politicians who are investigating what happened.

The committee is made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans.

These are the January 6 committee members:

• Bennie Thompson: Democrat, Mississippi
• Liz Cheney: Republican, Wyoming
• Adam Schiff: Democrat, California
• Jamie Raskin: Democrat, Maryland
• Elaine Luria: Democrat, Virginia Beach
• Pete Aguilar: Democrat, Southern California
• Zoe Lofgren: Democrat, California
• Stephanie Murphy: Democrat, Florida
• Adam Kinzinger: Republican, Illinois

What has the committee said about Donald Trump?

There have been damning revelations against Trump and his role in the riot.

From the video evidence of Trump’s reaction to the crowd’s chants against Mike Pence, to the allegations that Trump watched the riot unfold on Fox News.

Messages from his son, Trump Jr to the White House chief of staff saw him desperately try and get his father to condemn the riot.

Trump Jr said: “He’s got to condemn this s**t. Asap. The Capitol police tweet is not enough.

“This (is) one you go to the mattresses on. They will try to (expletive) his entire legacy on this if it gets worse”

Trump Jr has been ridiculed on social media for his mattress phrase, which he said was in reference to the Godfather.

Former White House aids have testified that Trump was made aware of the riot, danger to congress and threat to Pence, but that he “refused to even lift another finger to help.” Instead watching the events unfold on Fox News.

Where are the hearings being shown?

The first and final hearing will be broadcast live on prime time in the US, with crowds of people turning out to watch the first hearing in Washington D.C.

However, channels Fox News will not be showing the hearing on its main news channel, instead moving it to Fox Business Network.