Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Top January 6 committee lawyer John Wood leaving post amid calls for him to mount Senate bid

Mr Wood is a former aide to Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney and ex-Missouri Senator John Danforth

Andrew Feinberg
Washington, DC
Wednesday 22 June 2022 13:56 EDT
Comments
Judge tells Jan 6 committee he would ‘laid across the road’ to prevent overturning election

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

John Wood, the House January 6 committee lawyer who led questioning of retired judge Michael Luttig during the panel’s hearing on former president Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against his own Vice President, is reportedly leaving his post at the end of the week.

According to CNN, Mr Wood confirmed his departure but did not elaborate on the reason for it.

Mr Wood is both the panel’s senior investigative counsel and counsel to Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, the select committee’s vice chair.

His unexpected departure comes as the panel prepares to hold its fifth hearing on Thursday to examine how Mr Trump tried to enlist the Department of Justice in his push to remain in office despite losing the 2020 election.

Mr Wood, who previously worked for former Missouri Senator John Danforth, is reportedly being encouraged to throw his hat into the ring for Missouri’s open Senate seat in the Republican primary.

John Wood
John Wood (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The current frontrunner, disgraced ex-governor Eric Greitens, drew outrage earlier this week after releasing a campaign ad depicting him with a shotgun while “hunting RINOs,” a term used to describe candidates considered Republicans In Name Only because they are insufficiently loyal to Mr Trump.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in