Liz Cheney, the vice-chairwoman of the committee, said former president Trump was continually told that allegations of voter fraud were unsubstantiated. "Millions of Americans were persuaded to believe what Trump and his advisers did not," she said

Jamie Raskin, who is leading today's questioning, said the committee had been told of an "unhinged" meeting shortly after the election where Trump drafted an executive order to confiscate election machines. When that idea was rejected, Trump floated having a large gathering on 6 January.

Stephanie Murphy, co-lead of the hearing, said a 19 December Trump tweet urging supporters to gather in Washington served as a call to action.

The committee then heard pre-recorded testimony from Pat Cipollone. The former White House counsel under Trump said the president's staff knew there was no indication of election fraud and they believed Trump should have conceded.

Tuesday's hearing is seeking to link extremist groups such as the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys and Donald Trump's associates.

Trump has previously called the Democrat-led committee “illegally constituted” and a “kangaroo court".
The panel will hear from Jason Van Tatenhove, a former spokesman for the far-right Oath Keepers.

The group's leader Stewart Rhodes and 10 other members have been indicted with seditious conspiracy - a US civil war-era charge that carries up to 20 years in prison - over their roles in the Capitol attack.

Also testifying today will be Stephen Ayres, a Trump supporter from Warren, Ohio who pleaded guilty last month to disorderly and disruptive conduct for entering the Capitol that day.

Source: BBC