Riggleman’s book announcement came in the form of a tweet promoting his Sunday appearance on “60 Minutes,” the first time he has spoken publicly about the book. According to people familiar with the matter, lawmakers and committee staff were largely unaware that the former staffer had been writing a book about his limited work on the staff in the months since he left the committee — or that the book would Published prior to the conclusion of the Commission’s investigation. Like others who spoke to The Washington Post, he detailed the private conversation on condition of anonymity.
Senior staff confronted Rigman after rumors emerged that he was writing a book about his work for the committee, according to a person close to the panel. In one exchange, Rigman told colleagues he was writing a book on a topic unrelated to his committee work. In a later conversation, before he left committee staff, Rigman said he had been approached to write a book about the committee, but it wouldn’t be published before the end of the year.
The former MP issued the notice in April eight months after assisting the panel, saying He was going to work for an unspecified non-profit organization linked to Ukraine.
Rigman and his book agent did not respond to requests for comment.
Rigman also publicly boasted about the committee’s work and gave interviews — an unusual move for a congressional staffer. Earlier this year, he told a group of “never Trump” Republicans at the National Press Club that he would show through his committee work that the effort to overturn the election was “all about the money” and mocked several people under investigation.
He stood outside with a slew of Trump critics, telling them he had just got his new phone records and they were going to “explode.” He declined to say what they were, but his comments attracted those around him.
“I wish I could tell you about this,” he said of the data he is reviewing for the committee. “If I did, you’d be more shocked than you think.”
“It’s all about the money,” he said. “I’m going to destroy their ecosystem.”
Those appearances upset others who worked with the committee, and Rigman eventually drew some ire from the House of Representatives. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) initially pushed for his hiring, according to people familiar with the matter.
Riggleman travels between Washington and rural Virginia, where he owns a winery, Said he was in charge of the work of the committee that analyzed the call logs, text messages and online activity of those involved in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. But people familiar with his role pointed out that the phone records were only a small part of a larger and comprehensive investigation.
“The committee’s work is not built on the cornerstone of Denver’s efforts,” said a person familiar with his role.
Rigman’s cable news tour earlier this summer angered committee staff, during which he revealed private details about the staff’s work, according to people involved in the investigation. In a committee-wide email, staff supervisor David Buckley wrote that he was “deeply disappointed” by Rigman’s decision to discuss their work publicly, and that his presence “is a direct violation of his employment agreement.” “.
“His specific discussion of the contents of the subpoena record, our contracts, contractors and methods, and your hard work is troubling,” Buckley wrote at the time.
In a CNN appearance Riggleman detailed his team’s work linking names and numbers after receiving a cache of text messages from former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Calling the information a “roadmap,” he said the data obtained from the information enabled the committee to “organize an investigation.”
Earlier this spring, CNN obtained a cache of Meadows text.
Macmillan Publishers’ description of his forthcoming book, which Riggleman co-authored with journalist Hunter Walker, teases “previously unpublished texts from major political leaders” and “about Trump White House links to radical extremist groups” shocking details”.
In an excerpt released ahead of the 60 Minutes interview, Rigman revealed that the White House switchboard connected to a Capitol thug on Jan. 1. June 6, 2021.
“You get a real moment when you see the White House switchboard connected to the mob’s phone,” Rigman told “60 Minutes.” “That was an important, very important aha moment.”
Riggleman also addressed claims he made in the book that he implored the committee to work harder to obtain specific White House phone numbers.
“I was one of those people, and sadly, in the beginning, I was very, very aggressive about these interconnected connections, getting those White House phone numbers,” Rigman said.
A statement from the committee highlighted Rigman’s “limited knowledge” of the investigation and poured cold water on Rigman’s recommendation that the committee was not sufficiently aggressive in seeking evidence.
“He left staff in April, ahead of our hearing and most of our most important investigative work,” wrote committee spokesman Tim Mulvey. “Since his departure, the committee has All leads have been gathered, and all the information generated in his work has been digested and analysed. We will present more evidence to the public at the next hearing next Wednesday, and a detailed report will be released before the end of the year.”
The committee has yet to reveal the subject of its final hearing, but is expected to reveal new information when its investigation resumes during the August recess. The upcoming proceedings follow eight hearings in June and July detailing efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election result.
Lawmakers on the group had previously said they wanted to dig up more information about the Secret Service and Defense Department responses to Jan. 1. The attack on June 6 came after the committee learned that the two agencies had deleted communications from the phones of former and current officials.
Investigators also interviewed some of Trump’s cabinet secretaries — including Mike Pompeo, Steven Mnuchin, Robert O’Brien and Elaine Chao — about their internal conversations after the uprising invoking the 25th Amendment, which provides for inaction Ability, insanity, grounds of health or physical fitness to remove the president.