Byung “BJay” Pak, the former Atlanta-based U.S. attorney who was pressured by President Donald Trump to pursue false allegations of election fraud, is scheduled to testify at Monday’s hearing of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Pak has already spoken privately with members of Congress examining the root causes of the attack. He resigned abruptly in January 2021 after learning that Trump intended to fire him. The president was frustrated that Pak had said there was no evidence of significant misconduct or mismanagement during the 2020 general election that warranted an investigation.
Trump supporters stormed the Capitol two days after Pak’s resignation. During the committee’s first public hearing Thursday evening, rioters who have been charged with crimes were shown in interview videos saying they came to Washington that day because they believed Trump wanted them there.
That hearing also featured never-before-seen footage of the mob attacking law enforcement and gripping testimony from Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, an Atlanta native.
The committee meeting scheduled for Monday at 10 a.m. is the panel’s second public hearing. Hearings are also scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday morning, and at least two more are expected after that. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his chief election official, Gabe Sterling, are expected to testify at one of the upcoming meetings.
Pak, a former Republican state representative, was appointed by Trump to serve as the chief prosecutor for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in 2017.
He will testify during the second half of Monday’s meeting on a panel alongside former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, a Republican who was targeted by Trump after refusing to challenge election results, and Benjamin Ginsberg, a veteran Republican election lawyer who has written about the threat Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election have on America’s democracy.
A separate panel will feature Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, and Chris Stirewalt, Fox News’ former political editor who stepped down after accurately announcing that Trump lost Arizona to Joe Biden in 2020. His call sparked outrage from Trump’s camp.
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