| Howdy, Early Birds. We hope everyone who was stuck on I-95 in Virginia got home safely. We encourage you to catch today's Washington Post Live at 11 a.m. with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) as he recounts his experience on Jan. 6 – which occurred days after the tragic death of his son – and his work on the Jan. 6 select committee. Tips: earlytips@washpost.com. | | |  | On the Hill | | Four things we're watching on the eve of the Jan. 6 anniversary |  Demonstrators swarm the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg) | | | It's been nearly a year since a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, and a little less than six months since a special House committee opened a probe into the violent assault on the seat of democracy. So far, investigators have interviewed more than 300 witnesses, announced more than 50 subpoenas, obtained more than 35,000 pages of records and received hundreds of telephone tips through their Jan. 6 tipline. But the panel still has plenty left on its plate. The committee, headed by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), is working overtime ahead of a planned public phase of its investigation. The rough timeline being discussed among senior committee staffers includes public hearings starting this winter and stretching into spring, followed by an interim report released in the summer and a final report ahead of November's elections. And though we know the committee has collected copious documents and other information through witness interviews and depositions, much of it has yet to be made public. Here's what we're watching one year after the attack on the Capitol. | The Trump factor: Will Trump be called to testify before the committee? | | Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), one of two GOP panel members, said last month the committee will not hesitate to subpoena the former president — if necessary. "If we need him, we'll do it," Kinzinger told ABC News. | | "Nobody should be above the law, but we also recognize we can get the information without him at this point, and, obviously, when you subpoena the former president, that comes with a whole kind of, you know, circus environment," Kinzinger added. As Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the other GOPer, revealed on ABC News over the weekend, the committee has already gleaned firsthand information from witnesses about Trump's actions on Jan. 6: "The committee has firsthand testimony now that [Trump] was sitting in the dining room next to the Oval Office watching the attack on television," Cheney said. "We have firsthand testimony that his daughter Ivanka went in at least twice to ask him to please stop this violence." Reminder: A poll released by Suffolk University/USA Today in November found that 55 percent of respondents thought Trump should testify. | The NARA files: What White House records will the committee get from the National Archives? | | After the committee made the request, Trump filed a federal lawsuit to block the archives from releasing materials to Congress. Trump's lawyers last month asked the Supreme Court to take up the case following a federal appeals court ruling in December that Congress could see records related to the Jan. 6 attacks. Most recently, the committee struck a deal with the Biden administration "to delay or withdraw demands for hundreds of Trump White House records at the request of the Biden administration, out of concern that releasing some of the documents could compromise national security," per the New York Times's Glenn Thrush. For the time being, the committee is still waiting on a laundry list of items from the National Archives — including potential videotapes — from Trump's final days in office. The possibility of multiple recordings of a message from Trump to his supporters has been discussed in interviews with several witnesses, Jackie and Tom Hamburger reported last month. | Future subpoenas: What other high-profile witnesses will the committee call? | | Other lawmakers who could be of interest to the panel include Rep. Greg Pence (R-Ind.), the former vice president's older brother, who was with the veep that day, and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), who participated in the same rally as Trump before the mob stormed the building. Across the Capitol, Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) also spoke to Trump that day. Perry has already made it clear he's not going to comply with the committee's request for an interview, and there is little precedent for forcing lawmakers to testify as part of a congressional inquiry if they resist a subpoena. That won't be a deterrent, according to committee sources, and lawmakers on the panel are engaged in ongoing conversations about this issue. "We want to follow the facts where they lead," said the committee source. "And if it means subpoenaing individuals who are not historically subpoenaed on a regular basis, then that's where the facts will lead." | The X factor: Where will the Justice Department investigation lead? | | In recent weeks, as discussions of potential criminal referrals have swirled among panel members, lawmakers, legal scholars and former public officials have ramped up pressure on Attorney General Merrick Garland to "intensify the department's effort to investigate the events of Jan. 6 and what led up to it, and to focus in particular on holding former president Donald Trump and those close to him accountable," our colleague Matt Zapotosky reports. "The longtime girlfriend of Brian D. Sicknick, the Capitol Police officer who died the day after the riot, told 'PBS NewsHour' on Monday that she holds Trump '100 percent responsible' for Sicknick's death and wants the former president to serve time in prison," per Zapotosky. A criminal referral from the committee is legally toothless, pending the DOJ's decision to actually investigate a case. But a referral could ramp up pressure on Garland to investigate Trump's conduct. Caveat: "For at least one crime, however, a congressional referral does carry a legal order. If the House votes to find someone in contempt of Congress, the [DOJ] is obligated to bring the case to a grand jury," the New York Times's Luke Broadwater reports. Happening today at 2:30 p.m.: Garland will give a speech to "update the American people on [DOJ's] efforts to hold accountable those responsible," according to a statement, and "reaffirm the department's unwavering commitment to defend Americans and American democracy from violence and threats of violence." And Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) will appear on our live show to discuss his work on the committee at 11 a.m. if you want to tune in. | | On subpoenaing lawmakers in the Jan. 6 House probe | "We want to follow the facts where they lead. And if it means subpoenaing individuals who are not historically subpoenaed on a regular basis, then that's where the facts will lead." | | | | | | | Lawmakers are weighing new covid-19 stimulus funding for businesses |  In this April 23, 2020, file photo, former President Donald Trump's name is seen on a stimulus check issued by the IRS to help combat the adverse economic effects of the covid-19 outbreak. (Eric Gay/ AP Photo, File) | | | Could more covid relief be in the future? "Democratic and Republican lawmakers have held early discussions about another round of coronavirus stimulus spending as they seek to blunt the fast-spreading omicron variant and its urgent threats to public health and economic recovery," our colleague Tony Romm reports. | - "The early efforts have focused primarily on authorizing billions of dollars to help an array of businesses — including restaurants, performance venues, gyms and even minor league sports teams — that face another potential blow to their already-battered balance sheets as a result of the ever-evolving pandemic."
- "In recent weeks, the talks have been led by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) … The duo in mid-December cobbled together the outlines of a roughly $68 billion proposal … which could include a mix of new spending and a repurposing of some unused cash authorized under previous packages."
- The talks "reflect the nation's growing fears about the changed coronavirus pathogen that has swept through the country with devastating speed. With cases surging to record highs — and some hospitals once again feeling immense strain — lawmakers have started to worry that the pandemic could unleash fresh economic havoc."
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