1月6日的委员会周二上午宣布听证会定于周三举行已经被推迟了,但是关于原因却有不同的解释。
加州民主党众议员佐伊·洛夫格伦(Zoe Lofgren)在国会山告诉记者,在委员会宣布举行听证会后,证人没有问题,但“技术问题”。
“这只是技术问题。我的意思是,我们,你知道,工作人员把所有的视频放在一起,你知道,做1-2-3,这是压倒性的,所以我们试图给他们一点空间,”她说。“没什么大不了的。”
早些时候,她出现在MSNBC的“早晨乔”节目中,她说“对于我们非常少的视频工作人员来说,整理视频展览是一项令人疲惫的工作...把所有这些放在一起实在是太多了。”
但当后来被问及洛夫格伦对听证会延期的解释是否准确时,一名委员会助手说“不”
这名助手说,听证会已经“推迟,以适应日程安排的要求。”
不久后,该委员会发表声明说,“推迟是由于一些安排因素,包括生产时间表和成员和证人的可用性。”
听证会的焦点是时任总统唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)向司法部施压,支持他对选举欺诈的虚假指控。
美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)获得的一封信显示,前代理司法部长杰夫·罗森(Jeff Rosen)接受了1月6日委员会的邀请,与他当时的副手理查德·多诺霍(Richard Donoghue)和DOJ前首席律师之一史蒂夫·恩格尔(Steve Engel)一起出席周三的听证会。
Conflicting explanations over why Wednesday's Jan. 6 committee hearing abruptly postponed
The Jan. 6 committee announced Tuesday morning that itshearing set for Wednesdayhas been postponed -- but conflicting explanations were offered as to why.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., told reporters on Capitol Hill following the committee's announcement that there was no issue with witnesses in moving the hearing but "technical issues."
"It's just technical issues. I mean, we were, you know, the staff putting together all the videos, you know, doing 1-2-3, It was overwhelming, so we're trying to give them a little room," she said. "It's not a big deal."
Appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" earlier, she said "putting together the video exhibits is an exhausting exercise for our very small video staff ... it's just too much to put it all together."
But when asked later if Lofgren's explanation of the hearing postponement is accurate, a committee aide said "no."
The aide said the hearing has been "postponed to accommodate scheduling demands."
Not long after the committee issued a statement saying, "The postponement is due to a number of scheduling factors, including production timeline and availability of members and witnesses."
The hearing's focus was to be then-President Donald Trump's pressure campaign on the Justice Department to back his false claims of election fraud.
Former acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen had accepted an invitation from the Jan. 6 committee to appear at Wednesday's hearing, alongside his then-deputy Richard Donoghue and one of DOJ's former top attorneys Steve Engel, according to a letter obtained by ABC News sent from Rosen's attorney to the committee.