The House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol made its case to the American public during a prime-time hearing on Thursday night, placing the blame for the attack squarely on Donald Trump.
The hearing featured new video of the ambush and testimony from those closest to the former president, and over its course, the committee laid out its argument that the assault was an “attempted coup” directly resulting from Trump’s repeated efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The committee laid out in meticulous and shocking detail the extent that former president Trump went to overturn the election and keep himself in office. They presented evidence that the January 6 attack on the Capitol was not a rally that got out of hand but a planned effort disrupt the peaceful transition of power to overthrow our democracy. “Donald Trump was at the center of this conspiracy” said Chairman Representative Bennie Thompson.
As you may recall, the Republicans blocked the creation of a nonpartisan commission to investigate the attack and layout for Americans the full story of the assault on democracy. They then chose not to participate. The Democrats went ahead with two Republicans joining the committee (Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger). The result was a focused, effective committee operating without the constant disruptions from Republicans like Jim Jordan.
Liz Cheny related the findings of the committee in prosecutor-like precision. The most damning which may have been when Trump learned of the mob’s threat to hang Mike Pence, he said “Maybe our supporters have the right idea,” adding that Pence “deserves it” but there were many damning findings. General Miley related that Trump did nothing to defend the Capitol. He didn’t contact the Attorney General, Homeland Security, the National Guard or anyone else knowing his Vice President was in the building and in jeopardy. I guess that was the plan.
A person filming a documentary (Nick Quester) testified at the hearing. He filmed the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leaders meeting in a parking garage on the night of January 5. He documented the Proud Boys not going to the rally at all but marching on the Capitol at 10:30 AM 90 minutes before Trump spoke. They were walking around the Capitol and challenging the Capitol Police but there were not enough of them to break the line. They needed many more people. So they waited until Trump incited and instructed the crowd to go to the Capitol.
President Trump was told by multiple people that he lost the election. You may recall that Trump’s lawyers lost all 60 cases in the court. Attorney General Barr knew Trumps claims of fraud were false and told him as much. “I told the president it was bullshit”.
The committee reported of a night meeting with Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and Mike Flynn. The White House lawyers upon learning of the meeting rushed to attend it. Ten minutes after the meeting Trump tweeted the tweet telling his supporters to come to the Washington on January 6. It was going to be wild. It was no coincidence that the rally was on the day of the previously ceremonial counting of the electoral college votes.
President Trump executed a 7 point plan.
- President Trump engaged in a massive effort to spread false and fraudulent information to the American public claiming the 2020 election was stolen from him.
- President Trump corruptly planned to replace the Acting Attorney General, so that the Department of Justice would support his fake election claims.
- President Trump corruptly pressured Vice President Pence to refuse to count certified electoral votes in violation of the US Constitution and the law.
- President Trump corruptly pressured state election officials, and state legislators, to change election results.
- President Trump’s legal team and other Trump associates instructed Republicans in multiple states to create false electoral slates and transmit those slates to Congress and the National Archives.
- President Trump summoned and assembled a violent mob in Washington and directed them to march on the US Capitol.
- As the violence was underway, President Trump ignored multiple pleas for assistance and failed to take immediate action to stop the violence and instruct his supporters to leave the Capitol.
Next hearing will be Monday June 13.
It was interesting that all major networks televised the hearings except for Fox News. It was more interesting that Fox News did not have any commercial breaks while the hearing was in progress. I guess they didn’t want any of their viewers switching over to take a peak at what was going on in the hearing. I wonder who could have ordered them to do that? Hmmm.