What Happened to United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol?
The House Select Committee on the January 6th Attack was a bipartisan congressional panel formed to investigate the 2021 Capitol insurrection. After an 18-month probe, it issued an 814-page final report in December 2022, concluding that former President Donald Trump engaged in a multi-part conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election and recommending criminal charges against him and his allies. The committee dissolved in early 2023, but its work continues to influence legal proceedings and has prompted a new, Republican-led subcommittee to launch its own reinvestigation.
Quick Answer
The House Select Committee on the January 6th Attack completed its extensive 18-month investigation, publishing a comprehensive final report in December 2022 that detailed former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and recommended criminal charges against him. The committee officially dissolved in early January 2023. While its direct investigative work concluded, its findings continue to inform ongoing legal actions, and a new Republican-led House select subcommittee was established in September 2025 to conduct its own reinvestigation of the January 6th events, focusing on security failures and alleged misconduct by the original panel.
📊Key Facts
📅Complete Timeline15 events
House Passes Bill for Independent Commission
The House of Representatives passes legislation to create an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6th attack, but it is later blocked by Senate Republicans.
House Votes to Create Select Committee
The U.S. House of Representatives votes to establish the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, with all Democrats and two Republicans (Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger) voting in favor.
Committee Officially Formed
The House Select Committee on the January 6th Attack is officially formed, with Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS) as Chair and Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) as Vice Chair.
First Public Hearing Held
The committee holds its preliminary public hearing, focusing on the experiences of law enforcement officers during the Capitol attack.
RNC Censure of Cheney and Kinzinger
The Republican National Committee votes to formally censure Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for their participation on the Select Committee, stating their work was detrimental to the Republican Party.
Televised Public Hearings Begin
The committee begins a series of ten live televised public hearings, presenting evidence of former President Trump's alleged multi-part plan to overturn the 2020 election.
Criminal Referrals Voted and Executive Summary Released
The committee unanimously votes to refer former President Donald Trump and lawyer John Eastman to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution, and releases an executive summary of its findings.
Final Report Published
The House Select Committee releases its comprehensive 814-page final report, detailing its investigation, findings, and recommendations.
Committee Dissolves
The House Select Committee on the January 6th Attack officially dissolves with the end of the 117th Congress.
House Republicans Announce Reinvestigation Plans
House Republicans announce their intention to launch their own committee to 'reinvestigate' the Jan. 6 attack, focusing on security failures and alleged misconduct by the original panel.
Peter Navarro Reports to Prison
Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro begins serving a four-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress after defying a subpoena from the January 6th Committee.
Steve Bannon Reports to Prison
Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Trump, reports to prison to serve his four-month sentence for contempt of Congress after defying a subpoena from the January 6th Committee.
Biden Issues Preemptive Pardons
In one of his final acts as president, Joe Biden issues preemptive pardons to members and staff of the January 6th Committee, as well as Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified, citing concerns about potential political retribution.
New GOP-led Subcommittee Formed
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) officially appoints members to a new GOP-led House select subcommittee to reinvestigate the January 6th attack, with Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) appointed to lead it.
GOP Subcommittee Holds First Hearing
The new Republican-led congressional subcommittee holds its first public hearing, focusing on security failures and criticizing the previous investigation.
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🔍Deep Dive Analysis
The United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol was established on July 1, 2021, following the Senate's failure to pass legislation for an independent, bipartisan commission. Chaired by Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and with Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) as Vice Chair, the nine-member committee comprised seven Democrats and two Republicans. Its mandate was to investigate the facts and causes of the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and recommend measures to prevent future assaults on democratic institutions.
The committee conducted a rigorous 18-month investigation, interviewing over 1,000 witnesses and reviewing more than a million documents. A series of ten televised public hearings in 2022 captivated national attention, presenting evidence of what the committee described as former President Trump's "seven-part plan to overturn the 2020 elections." Key turning points included testimony from former White House aides and officials, revealing Trump's direct involvement in pressuring state election officials, the Justice Department, and Vice President Mike Pence to subvert the election results.
On December 19, 2022, the committee voted unanimously to refer former President Trump to the Department of Justice for prosecution on four criminal charges: obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement, and assisting or aiding an insurrection. It also referred several of Trump's allies, including lawyer John Eastman, for criminal charges and recommended ethics referrals for four Republican members of Congress who defied subpoenas. The committee released its 814-page final report on December 22, 2022, detailing its findings and recommendations.
The committee officially dissolved in early January 2023 with the end of the 117th Congress. Its work, however, had significant consequences. Two individuals, Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon, were convicted of contempt of Congress for defying committee subpoenas and subsequently served prison sentences in 2024. Furthermore, on January 20, 2025, President Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons to members and staff of the January 6th Committee, as well as to testifying Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers, citing concerns about potential politically motivated prosecutions by an incoming Trump administration.
As of August 28, 2026, the legacy of the original committee continues to evolve. While the Department of Justice's investigations into the January 6th attack and related efforts to overturn the election are ongoing, a new Republican-led House select subcommittee was formed in September 2025 to reinvestigate the events of January 6th. This new subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), aims to focus on security failures and alleged misconduct by the previous Democratic-led committee, signaling a continued partisan divide over the interpretation and accountability for the Capitol attack.
What If...?
Explore alternate histories. What if United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol made different choices?