By Steve Neavling
The Justice Department has given permission to former Trump administration officials to participate in Congress’ investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
The DOJ notified the former officials this week and said they could give “unrestricted testimony” to the House Oversight and Reform Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee, The New York Times reports.
The committee are investigating Trump’s role in the riot and the former administration’s efforts to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
The notification alleviates fears that the Justice Department would assert executive privilege, a common tactic used by Trump’s White House to avoid administration officials from testifying before Congress.
According to the department’s notice, former officials may provide unrestricted testimony “so long as the testimony is confined to the scope of the interviews set forth by the committees” and does not disclose classified information or pending criminal cases.
