Mike Pompeo: Trump's former secretary of state faces January 6 committee questioning

Mr Pompeo and ex-treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin were reportedly among those talking about invoking 25th amendment to remove Mr Trump

Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida. AP

The US House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol is expected to speak behind closed doors on Tuesday with former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, according to a source.

Separately, Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for governor and an ally of former president Donald Trump, is scheduled to appear before the panel on Tuesday.

Committee members including Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney have signalled for weeks in TV appearances and in a public hearing that the panel was anticipating talking to members of Mr Trump’s former cabinet.

Representative Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House select committee to investigate the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, leads a meeting on Capitol Hill. Bloomberg

Jamie Raskin and Liz Cheney in discussion. The committee has bene set up to investigate what was behind more than 2,000 supporters of Donald Trump storming the Capitol Building in Washington. Bloomberg

The Trump supporters were answering his call to 'fight like hell' to stop Congress from validating Joe Biden’s presidential victory. EPA

Liz Cheney, Bennie Thompson and Jamie Raskin consider a report at a meeting. EPA

Jamie Raskin alongside Elaine Luria. AFP

Zoe Lofgren speaks alongside Adam Schiff at the committee meeting. AFP

Republicans Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger were censured by their party for involvement in the committee probe. AFP

Stephanie Grisham, former White House press secretary under former president Donald Trump, leaves after a meeting with the January 6 Committee. Reuters

Roger Stone, a former adviser and confidante to former president Donald Trump, arrives in Washington. AFP

Former White House chief strategist in the Trump administration Steve Bannon surrendered to authorities after being indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress for defying the January 6 Committee. EPA

Ms Cheney noted at a June 9 public hearing that some Trump cabinet members discussed after the riot the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment to replace him as president, prior to the official presidential transition to Joe Biden on January 20. In his book, Betrayal, Jonathan Karl of ABC News reported that Mr Pompeo and then-treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin were among those talking about that possibility.

Removing Mr Trump under the amendment would have required then-vice president Mike Pence and the majority of the Trump cabinet to approve it, which did not happen.

Betsy DeVos, who was education secretary under Mr Trump, told USA Today she raised with Mr Pence whether the cabinet should consider the 25th Amendment. She said Mr Pence made it clear he was “not going to go in that direction”.

Mr Mastriano’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, said his client would not testify unless the panel agrees not to edit video of his answers and to not release potentially misleading or out-of-context snippets afterwards, which he said could be used to harm his campaign for governor.

People demonstrate against Doug Mastriano, Republican gubernatorial candidate from Pennsylvania. Reuters

The committee’s interest in Mr Mastriano has been known for some time.

Mr Mastriano learnt in a publicly released February letter from committee Chairman Bennie Thompson he was being subpoenaed to testify because of his involvement in a plan to arrange for an “alternate” slate of presidential electors from Pennsylvania for Mr Trump, and because he had direct conversations with Mr Trump “about post-election activities”.

Before that subpoena, the Senate Judiciary Committee detailed in an October 2021 report how Mr Mastriano raised “a litany of false and debunked claims of widespread election fraud in Pennsylvania”. That report noted he aired some of these at a November 25, 2020 “hearing” at a hotel in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, featuring Mr Trump's campaign lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, which included a phone call from Mr Trump himself.

The Senate report also said that Mr Mastriano took a lead role in the “Stop the Steal” movement, spending thousands of dollars from his campaign account to charter buses to Washington for Mr Trump’s rally on the Ellipse, the precursor to the Capitol riot.

Mr Mastriano also was on the Capitol grounds as the riot unfolded, the report states, although he has said he never entered the building.

Amid these revelations, Mr Mastriano won the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania governor in May with Mr Trump’s backing against a crowded field. He is running against Democrat Josh Shapiro in the November election.

Memorable quotes from the January 6 committee hearings

'There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonour will remain.' Congresswoman and January 6 committee vice chairwoman Liz Cheney to Republican colleagues who have defended Mr Trump's claims of election fraud. AFP

'January 6 was the culmination of an attempted coup - a brazen attempt, as one rioter put it shortly after January 6 - to overthrow the government.' Committee chairman Bennie Thompson. EPA

Mr Trump 'was willing to sacrifice our republic to prolong his presidency. I can imagine no more dishonourable acts by a president.' Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger. AFP

Donald Trump had this 'arsenal of allegations. I went through them piece by piece to say, no, they were not true'. Former acting deputy attorney general Richard Donoghue. EPA

'There were no votes to find.' Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger after Donald Trump asked him and his deputy, Gabriel Sterling, to 'find 11,780' votes that could flip Georgia in the president's favour. AFP

Competing against Donald Trump’s lies was like a 'shovel trying to empty the ocean'. Gabriel Sterling, Georgia Secretary of State chief operating officer. AFP

'As an American, I was disgusted. It was unpatriotic, it was un-American. We were watching the Capitol building get defaced over a lie.' Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to then White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, speaking about the insurrection. AFP

'I told him [Donald Trump] that the stuff his people were shovelling out to the public was bull***t.' Former attorney general William Barr. AP

'I respect attorney general Barr. So, I accepted what he was saying.' Ivanka Trump, former White House senior adviser. AP

'We fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country any more.' Donald Trump on January 6, 2021. Reuters

A Confederate battle flag that reads 'Come and Take It' and shows a military-style rifle flies as rioters storm the Capitol on January 6, 2001. Reuters

A Trump supporter sprays smoke. Reuters

Police attempt to push the mob back. AFP

The pro-Trump mob swarms the Capitol as police release tear gas. Reuters

Protesters clash with police. Reuters

Pro-Trump protesters storm into the US Capitol. Reuters

A police flash-bang blast lights up the Capitol. Reuters

Before the insurrection, Mr Trump is seen on a screen speaking to supporters during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 US presidential election results. Reuters

People march with those who say they are members of the Proud Boys as they attend a rally in Washington in support of former president Donald Trump. AP