Justice Department says ex-Trump administration officials can testify about January 6

Washington — The Justice Department has decided that former officials who worked in the Trump administration can testify before congressional committees probing the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News.

The department recently sent letters to Capitol Hill notifying lawmakers that the ex-officials had been given the green light to give testimony about the events surrounding the Capitol attack. The New York Times first reported the Justice Department's decision. Several congressional panels, including the Senate and House Judiciary Committees, have mounted investigations into former President Donald Trump's efforts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and the run-up to the January 6 riots at the Capitol, which left five people dead and more than 150 police officers injured.