WASHINGTON, Jan 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress' probe of the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters soon begins weeks of public hearings that will put the investigation in the spotlight as campaigning intensifies for the November elections.
The probe into the worst attack on Congress since the War of 1812 has largely played out behind closed doors so far. The House of Representatives Select Committee on Jan. 6 has interviewed more than 300 witnesses about the violence by Trump supporters seeking to overturn his election defeat and Trump's response to it.
The committee's members are racing to finish their work before elections on Nov. 8. The seven Democrats and two Republicans know their efforts could be shut down if Republicans take back a majority of the House as forecasters believe is likely. Media coverage of the hearings could become campaign fodder.
House Republican leadership refused to take part in the probe as about 55% of Republican voters now believe former President Trump's claims that his defeat was the result of widespread fraud. Multiple courts have rejected that contention but it has nonetheless spurred a wave of new state limits on voting.
The House probe is moving in parallel to the Justice Department's prosecution of about 725 accused rioters on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to conspiracy. About 165 people so far have pleaded guilty to taking part in the attack and the first trials could begin next month.
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