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January 6 committee investigating Capitol riots is meeting again — and could deliver final evidence. Here's what we know

The select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol will hold its ninth — and possibly final — public evidence hearing overnight.

The last committee hearing, which was broadcast live and in prime time in the US, was held on July 21.

That meeting revealed the most detailed account to date of what former president Donald Trump was doing for more than three hours while his supporters stormed the Capitol.

The ninth hearing was scheduled for late September but was postponed due to Hurricane Ian.

Here's what we know so far about what to expect.

When is the next committee hearing?

The next select committee hearing has been rescheduled to Thursday, October 13, at 1pm local time.

That's 4am AEDT on Friday, October 14.

Like the previous hearings, it will be live streamed.

We'll be catching you up on all the key moments on the ABC News website first thing Friday morning.

What will the hearing focus on?

That's the big question — the committee itself declared that it will "present the key facts we've uncovered during our investigation".

A committee aide told reporters earlier this week that this hearing will be different in that there's no single specific topic or part of the investigation in the spotlight.

Instead, it'll be a broader look at the context and timeline of the incident, dating back to before election day and after the January 6 riots.

The aide did say there will be a particular focus on former president Trump's state of mind and an assessment of ongoing threats to democracy in the US.

Committee member Jamie Raskin told CNN that the committee is looking to the present and future, as well as what happened around January 6, 2021.

"There remains a clear and present danger to our electoral system and to democratic institutions," he told the US outlet.

"So, that is something that will come through in our final hearing.

"This is not ancient history we're talking about, this is a continuing threat."

Speaking at the Texas Tribune Festival last month, Mr Raskin said to "stay tuned" for details set to be revealed about Trump ally Roger Stone's alleged connections with domestic extremist groups.

"There were clearly people who understood the preparations that were taking place," he said during a Q&A address at the event.

"If you think you can almost knock over the government of the United States spontaneously, then you haven't been paying close attention because we found that this was a completely premeditated, deliberate attack on our government."

Mr Raskin didn't speculate much on the specifics of the next hearing, but foreshadowed that the committee's final report would be "riveting reading".

Fellow committee member Adam Schiff was also vague when asked on CNN's State of the Union just before the original hearing date — but did say it'll be "worth watching".

"It will tell the story about a key element of Donald Trump's plot to overturn the election, and the public will certainly learn things it hasn't seen before, but it will also understand information it already has in a different context," he told the program.

We're also expecting new video footage, documentary evidence and information from the US Secret Service to be revealed.

Who will we be hearing from?

Committee aides say the hearing will include comments from all nine members of the select committee, including chair Bennie Thompson and vice-chair Liz Cheney.

We also know there will be no live testimonies at this hearing — we'll be hearing from witnesses via video.

We're expecting to hear from new witnesses as well as witnesses we've heard from before giving new evidence.

One of those new witnesses could be Ginni Thomas, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's wife — however, the committee aide who spoke to reporters wouldn't confirm this.

Ms Thomas voluntarily spoke to the committee after it expressed interest in interviewing her about her involvement in the rally prior to the Capitol riots, but there's no confirmation how much, if any, of that conversation will be shared in a public forum.

CNN reporter Annie Grayer shared this video showing Ms Thomas on her way to meet with the committee on September 29... 

... but it's still unclear whether she'll appear in person at the public hearing, or whether she gave any evidence that will be revealed there.

Some other names thrown around by CNN as potential witnesses include Mike Pompeo, Elaine Chao and Steve Mnuchin — all former members of Trump's cabinet.

Last month, the committee also requested former House speaker Newt Gingrich provide information for the investigation, but it's unclear whether that means he'll testify at a public hearing (or at all).

Mr Gingrich was pressed by a reporter about whether he plans to give evidence, and responded by telling the journalist "I think you have a learning disability".

NBC's Scott Wong tweeted a video of the exchange, which didn't provide much further clarity about Mr Gingrich's intentions of cooperating with the investigation:

Scott Wong: What do you think about the January 6 committee? 

Newt Gingrich: I don't.

SW: You have no thoughts about the committee itself? 

NG: I think you have a learning disability.

SW: Excuse me? 

NG: The fact is, I've said to you three or four times, I don't talk about it. You don't seem to … I don't talk about it.

The committee is reportedly still in talks with former vice-president Mike Pence's lawyers about a potential testimony, but that's not locked in either.

Will this be the end of the investigation?

Nope.

Committee members are taking the line that more hearings will be scheduled if crucial new evidence comes to hand.

A committee aide who spoke earlier this week reiterated that the investigation is ongoing and was reluctant to label the hearing as a "closing argument" despite some commentators speculating that it could be.

The select committee still has to deliver its final report on everything it's found during the investigation — which is a fair bit — as well as "recommendations for corrective measures".

There were reports that we'd hear an update on the findings before the 2022 midterm elections, but the hurricane delay could hinder that plan.

And while Mr Schiff says this week's hearing could be the last "of this nature", it won't likely be the last hearing full-stop.

"I hope we'll, additionally, down the road, have a hearing to explore our findings and our recommendations going forward to protect the country," he told CNN.

Committee chair Bennie Thompson also told reporters that it's "not in stone" that there won't be another evidence-based hearing if something arises that justifies it.

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