Donald Trump equates Jan 6 probe to 'witch hunts', discusses Mar-a-Lago dispute

Former US President Donald Trump, ahead of the upcoming Jan. 6 committee hearing, gloated about the several probes he’s “beat,” at a rally in Arizona on Sunday. “For six straight years, these witch hunts have been in full force. Witch hunts, hoaxes and abuses have been coming at us at a fast and furious pace,“ he said, according to a report by US News. 

“Now it’s the unselect committee of political hacks and thugs. And that’s a scam,” he added. 

Trump, in his speech, also addressed the “break in” of his Mar-a-Lago property by the FBI in August, and claimed that several former US presidents had taken documents from the White House. He further justified that managing government documents falls under the Presidential Records Act.

“There is no crime,” Trump said while talking about the “small number” of storage boxes at his estate. “They should give me immediately back everything they’ve taken from me because it’s mine,” he added. Trump then went on to claim that the FBI had placed evidence on his Florida property, adding that the seized documents contained information on nuclear weapons.

"They plant documents. Let's see, is there a book on nuclear destruction or building of a nuclear weapon, let's put that book in with Trump," he said at the rally.

All you need to know about the upcoming Jan 6 hearing

The US House Select committee, which has been looking into the Capitol attack of January 6, 2021, will be meeting this Thursday after eight hearings that were held this summer. While members of the committee have not revealed the key agendas of the meeting, it is said to “be potentially more sweeping than some of the other hearings,” and will “tell the story about a key element of Donald Trump’s plot to overturn the election,” Rep. Adam Schiff of California told CNN.  

Furthermore, the hearing, which is speculated to be the last one, could comprise the testimony of Trump’s erstwhile cabinet members, or attorney-activist Ginni Thomas, who has actively challenged the 2020 presidential election results. Thursday's hearing comes as the committee looks forward to concluding the investigation after assembling data from multiple witnesses and documents.