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Ex-Congressman Denver Riggleman writes book about advising Jan. 6 committee

Washington — Denver Riggleman, a former GOP congressman and former senior adviser for the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, sat down with "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker for exclusive interviews ahead of the Tuesday release of his new book, "The Breach."

Riggleman was in charge of analyzing the call records, texts and online activities of hundreds of people suspected of playing a role in the attack on the Capitol. He kept the book under wraps from the Jan. 6 committee while he was writing it. The House panel has just one more hearing scheduled, on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

"I've left some things out because the committee is still doing their investigation on some of these things, right? But I wanted the American people to see that we can build facts as a narrative as effective as building narrative out of fantasy," Riggleman told Whitaker. 

Whitaker interviewed Riggleman in Washington, D.C., and at his home in Virginia, and those conversations will air at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Sunday, Sept. 25, on "60 Minutes."

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Former Congressman Denver Riggleman is interviewed by "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker.  CBS News

Riggleman served one term in the House before losing to Rep. Bob Good in 2020, despite an endorsement from then-President Trump. Riggleman had attracted criticism from within the Virginia GOP for officiating a same-sex wedding. 

Since losing his primary, Riggleman, an experienced military intelligence officer, has become an outspoken critic of both the former president and the Republican Party.

In a June interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Riggleman said he no longer considers himself to be a Republican, claiming the party has shifted away from its core conservative principles and toward a "cult of personality." 

"I think the party left me some time ago," Riggleman said. 

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