Former Trump DHS official Ken Cuccinelli meets with Jan. 6 committee

In recent weeks, the committee has ramped up its pressure on key Trump allies and former administration officials.

Ken Cuccinelli, senior official performing the duties of the Deputy Homeland Security Secretary, testifies at a hearing on Capitol Hill on Sept. 24, 2020.Joshua Roberts / Pool via Getty Images file
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The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot interviewed former Homeland Security official Ken Cuccinelli last week, a representative for Cuccinelli confirmed to NBC News on Friday.

The representative said Cuccinelli, a DHS official during the Trump administration, was asked about the events of Jan. 6 and the agency's preparations for that day. He was also asked about his interactions with former President Donald Trump and ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows during an interview that lasted four-and-a-half hours, the representative said.

Cuccinelli toured the Capitol on the night of Jan. 6 to survey the damage after rioters left the building.

CNN first reported Cuccinelli's interactions with the House committee.

Cuccinelli, a former attorney general for Virginia, was a key fixture in the Trump administration, advancing some of the former president's hardline immigration policies.

In a 400-page report released in October by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Trump was said to have floated the idea of appointing Cuccinelli as a special counsel to investigate claims of election fraud.

In recent weeks, the Jan. 6 committee has ramped up its pressure on key Trump allies and former administration officials. The House voted this week to refer Meadows to the Justice Department for a potential criminal charge over his refusal to answer questions about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.