Kayla Epstein
Reporting from New York

Donald Trump’s Vice-President Mike Pence, who was forced into hiding during the riot, says he hopes the justice department “would not bring charges against the former president".

In an interview with Fox News, he said: “The president’s actions and words on January 6 were reckless, but I don’t know that it’s criminal to take bad advice from lawyers.”

Pence, who has presidential hopes of his own in 2024, must walk a fine political line between criticising Trump and not alienating the section of the Republican Party that remains loyal to his former boss.

“I hope the justice department understands the magnitude, the very idea of indicting a former president of the United States,” he said. “I think that would be terribly divisive in the country.”

Image source, Getty Images

Today is the final hearing, and the report is nearly done.

Members will vote on its terminology and finalise their criminal referrals before publishing the full report.

It's expected to be voted on today and released on 21 December. But there’s a chance it could be released sooner.

Image source, Getty Images

It was an important day in Congress: US senators were meeting in the Capitol building to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Joe Biden had won

There was a nearby rally: Donald Trump, who was still president at the time, addressed a large crowd of supporters at a "Save America" rally near the White House. He urged them to march "peacefully" to the Capitol, but also made unsubstantiated claims of massive voter fraud and told them to "fight like hell".

A crowd stormed the Capitol: It numbered between 2,000 and 2,500 people and contained members of far-right group, while many were carrying weapons. Hundreds of people forced their way into the building through windows and doors, overwhelming the Capitol police.

Politicians were forced to shelter: Vice-President Mike Pence had to be rushed away and members of Congress hid as rioters swarmed through the building, shouting death threats and forcing their way onto the floor of the Senate.

It took police almost four hours to restore order at the Capitol. President Biden later said the rioters had "held a dagger at the throat of America and American democracy".

Image source, Getty Images

Over the course of previous public hearings, the committee has sought to demonstrate a direct connection between Donald Trump and his political allies to the events of 6 January 2021.

It has used both live and recorded testimony from witnesses - including many who served in key Trump administration positions - to describe Trump’s denial of the election results, alleged efforts to overturn those results in the days leading up to the riot, and the events of 6 January itself.

Some of the most explosive testimony came from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who testified that Trump lunged at a Secret Service agent who would not take him to join the protesters at the Capitol.

She also alleged that Trump was aware that members of the mob were armed and asked that metal detectors be removed from the area.

A slew of former officials, including former Attorney General Bill Barr, also testified that they repeatedly told Trump there was no evidence to support his claims that the 2020 election had been stolen from him.

Trump’s eldest daughter Ivanka testified too, saying she didn’t believe her father’s stolen-election claims

Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly criticised the committee's work as a "witch-hunt" and denies any wrongdoing.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from New York

The committee is expected to unveil their final report, the culmination of a lengthy investigation into last year's attack on the Capitol and former President Donald Trump’s actions during the 2020 election.

The report is expected to be about eight chapters long. Representative Liz Cheney, one of only two Republicans serving on the panel, has reportedly pushed for the report to focus closely on Trump.

US media - including an initial report in Politico, external - suggest the panel will also recommend at least three formal charges against Trump to the Department of Justice.

Reports suggest these charges will include insurrection, obstruction of Congress, and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Though these recommendations carry no legal weight, members of the panel hope they will play a role in subsequent investigations.

The justice department is not obliged to consider referrals from any congressional panel - and is already conducting a separate investigation of its own.

Welcome to our live coverage as the congressional committee investigating last year's Capitol riot, when hundreds of Donald Trump supporters stormed Congress, holds its final public hearing.

The panel is reportedly poised to recommend criminal charges against former President Trump.

It's important to note, though, that this doesn't mean he will be officially charged with wrongdoing - as that’s up to the US Department of Justice to decide.

The Democrat-led select committee will only recommend that the justice department files charges.

The nine panellists on the committee are also expected to approve the final eight-chapter report and submit it to the justice department after 18-months of work.

Stay with us for the latest.