Trump Made 'Multiple Efforts' To Contact Jan. 6 Committee Witnesses—Report

Donald Trump made "multiple efforts" to contact witnesses called to appear before the House Select Committee into the January 6 attack on Congress, according to its final report.

The document concluded Trump had been part of a "multi-part conspiracy" to overturn the 2020 presidential election result.

In the report's executive summary, the committee said it was "aware of multiple efforts by President Trump to contact Select Committee witnesses."

It added: "The Department of Justice is aware of at least one of those circumstances."

In total, the January 6 Committee interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses and held 10 public hearings.

The report concluded: "The central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, who many others followed. None of the events of January 6th would have happened without him."

Trump responded to the report on his Truth Social website, commenting: "The highly partisan Unselect Committee Report purposely fails to mention the failure of Pelosi to heed my recommendation for troops to be used in D.C., show the 'Peacefully and Patrioticly' words I used, or study the reason for the protest, Election Fraud. WITCH HUNT!"

The former president continues to claim the 2020 election was "rigged" against him, though the accusation has been repeatedly rejected in court and by independent election experts.

Hundreds of Trump supporters stormed Congress on January 6, 2021 in a bid to prevent the 2020 presidential election being certified, following a rally that Trump addressed at The Ellipse, where he told his supporters: "If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore."

During the ensuing violence Ashli Babbit, a 35-year-old Trump supporter, was shot dead by police, while dozens of officers were injured after being attacked with rocks, metal poles and pepper spray.

Speaking to Newsmax in February, Trump said he would "absolutely" offer pardons to some of those convicted for taking part in the attack, if returned to the White House for a second term.

The January 6 committee report made a number of recommendations to avoid any repetition of such violence, including suggesting Trump should be barred from holding any future federal or state office.

It said: "Under Section 3 of the Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment, an individual who previously took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States, but who has 'engaged in an insurrection' against the same, or given 'aid or comfort to the enemies of the Constitution' can be disqualified from holding future federal or state office.

"The Select Committee has referred Donald Trump and others for possible prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 2383, including for assisting and providing aid and comfort to an insurrection.

"The Committee believes that those who took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and then, on January 6th, engaged in insurrection can appropriately be disqualified and barred from holding government office—whether federal or state, civilian or military—absent at least two-thirds of Congress acting to remove the disability pursuant to Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment."

On Monday the committee called on the Justice Department to investigate Trump over four criminal charges relating to the January 6 violence, and wider efforts to reverse the 2020 presidential election result.

These were for insurrection, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to make false statements and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government.

Donald Trump has been contacted for comment.

Update 12/23/22, 6:06 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include background information.