Jan. 6 Summer Hearings Wrap Up: What Did We Learn?

On January 6, the House Select Committee on Thursday night wrapped up the last of eight summer hearings designed to hold former President Donald Trump accountable for the attack on the US Capitol.

Considering this investigation a mystery, the plan was known before the commission began its work. But they offer additional points, through hundreds of interviews and a collection of 140,000 documents, in an attempt to paint a more accurate picture of the president's misdeeds.

Why are we writing this?

After eight hearings, what happened on January 6 and before is still a statement. But the new details can be used to strengthen the case against the former president.

For six weeks, the committee has tried to show that Trump is unfit for public office and is deliberately misleading his supporters to stay in office.

Legal experts differ on whether the evidence warrants criminal charges against the former president. However, many say the hearings provided valuable public information.

Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law professor at George Washington University, criticized the committee for a lack of GOP appointees and strong public opinion. "The evidence ranges from the terrifying to the heroic."

Washington

If it wasn't the series finale, it was the season finale. Last night, January 6, the House Select Committee concluded its last eight hearings this summer with the goal of impeaching former President Donald Trump for the attack on the United States Capitol.

The latest attempt was really focused on Mr. Trump storming the Capitol and releasing a Rose Garden video urging rioters to go home in 187 minutes.

If you think of this congressional question as a point-to-point puzzle, the explanation is before the select committee begins its work. But the commission made several other points, interviewing hundreds of witnesses and collecting 140,000 documents, in an attempt to paint a clearer picture of the president's guilt.

Why are we writing this?

After eight hearings, what happened on January 6 and before is still a statement. But the new details can be used to strengthen the case against the former president.

For six weeks, the commission tried to prove that Trump, who is announcing his 2024 presidential bid, was unfit for public office and deliberately misled his supporters in a desperate bid to lose the election. Energy

"Your patriotism will prevail. On January 6, Donald Trump weaponized his love of country against Capitol Hill and our Constitution," Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney said at the end of her trial.

The panel also suggested Trump could face criminal charges, though legal experts disagreed on whether the panel's evidence should justify charges against the former president. Some now see stronger charges against Trump, possibly for crimes ranging from defrauding the public to aiding an insurgency. These accusations could be exacerbated by hours of unpublished testimony adding significant details.

Either he knew he had missed or was deliberately hiding the truth. Then he started doing everything he could to cancel the election without hurting anyone else or the country." Professor of Law, Harvard University Constitutional Court. "This all creates a very serious federal crime."

According to another, the trial was able to establish the criminal conviction of the former president, despite the fact that he displayed despicable, even immoral, behavior.

Jonathan Turley, a professor of constitutional law at George Washington University, disagreed with the committee's opinion, saying, "It is a crime for the president not to do the 'right thing' that directly refers to the committee." . Lack of strong Republican officials and elections.

Although they saw no strong legal basis against Trump, he said the phone call played a role in creating a comprehensive record of the events leading up to Jan. 6 and the attacks on Capitol Hill.

"The committee has been very helpful in publishing details and bills," Professor Turley said. “This is very disturbing and sometimes overwhelming. The evidence ranges from terrifying to heroic.

Former Capitol Police Officer Michael Fannon hugs Serena Liebengud, wife of former Capitol Police Officer Howie Liebengud, as they attend a House committee hearing on July 21, 2022 at the US Capitol.

Many viewers included vivid images of the day's violence, often featuring scenes that were difficult to watch. Several police officers attended the hearing, faced the crowd on Capitol Hill and were seen with their heads in their hands at various times. At the end of most hearings, committee members leave the room to shake hands or, in many cases, hug witnesses and thank them for telling their stories.

Last night, rep. Cheney praised the witnesses who have agreed to testify, including Cassidy Hutchinson, a young aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. "Now you know that President Trump and the people who hid behind executive privilege in the '50s, '60s and '70s are going to strike," he said. But like our witnesses today, he had the courage and did it.

The list is already complete

Trump's list of speeches and actions before January 6 has been known for more than a year. As absentee voting increased during the pandemic, the validity of the 2020 election results was called into question before voting began. He went on to claim that he had won after all but one of the 62 lawsuits filed by his team were dropped or dismissed. The Justice Department urged him to find evidence of fraud, and Attorney General Bill Barr said there was no balance in overturning the election, but the president met with state election officials and found no such evidence.

He then tried to pressure state legislatures to designate an alternative voter list, in what many saw as a last resort and unconstitutional. The idea is that the process overseen by Vice President Mike Pence for counting Electoral College votes when Congress meets on January 6 could delay or nullify Joe Biden's victory. This morning, as Pence said he does not believe he has the constitutional authority to unilaterally accept or reject the vote, Trump led a crowd near the White House to march on Capitol Hill. While rioters stormed the building and spoke to law enforcement, nothing was done to stop the violence for hours.

The committee will fill out this narrative arc with new details, bringing personal testimony from Republican attorneys general, state election officials and state legislators, and former White House officials. The commission exposed a pattern of behavior with videos by former Trump advisers saying Trump deliberately misled his supporters into believing his election was rigged and angered opponents, some of whom are among them. Capitol Hill is armed to disrupt the process and pressure has been building on Pence and members of Congress as the Electoral College votes begin to be counted.

Listen: Live in a divisive history

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Good political writing requires impartiality that respects the facts, presents a point of view, and allows readers to draw their own conclusions. Author Krista Case Bryant spoke with Samantha Layne Perfas about implementing this approach to reporting beginning January 6.

Some of the most interesting details from the eight hearings were that Hutchinson, a White House aide, told Trump that some of the protesters were carrying weapons, but asked the Secret Service to remain at his meetings. Tell them not to hurt you. Another official Mr. Trump was told he couldn't join the opposition on Capitol Hill, he tried to grab the steering wheel of the president's car and get a secret. Tuesdaytent - Account not accepted by mr. Trump and Secret Service agents are charged. And when some rioters told the president to "get rid of Mike Pence," the vice president said he deserved it; This is something he heard in two conversations.

Last night's testimony, which has been redacted for security reasons, includes an audio clip from January 6 of a man identified as a "White House security guard" who said he feared for his life as Secret Service agents they said goodbye to families at the Capitol. And he warned them to use deadly force to protect Mr. Pence.

difference of opinion

Although only two of the committee's nine members are Republicans, and both are outspoken critics of Trump, nearly all of the statements were made by Republicans who support or work for the former president. However, many Trump supporters have criticized the trial for being too scripted to test possible motives or other interpretations, or to assess the accuracy of witnesses' memories on the critical day 18 months ago.

Cheney responded to this criticism in his comments last night. "Do you really think Bill Barr is such a beautiful flower that he would wilt under interrogation?" he asked, then went through a list of other Trump insiders who had testified. "Of course not, none of these witnesses."

Professor Tribe, who taught and befriended two committee members, Adam Schiff and Jamie Raskin, said the trial provided stronger evidence than the impeachment trial that Trump was fueling the rebellion. It can now be "easily proven" that the former president misled the American people and obstructed the congressional process. He also faces possible felony charges, including participating, aiding and abetting a civil uprising against the US government that would prevent Trump from being re-elected, and conspiracy to commit a riot, which carries a 20-year prison sentence. years. Prison

Professor Turley disagreed and expressed doubt that any of the crimes mentioned by Professor Gosaye could be proven in court. For example, the Attorney General for the District of Columbia investigated Trump for sedition and said no charges were filed against him.

"Committee members initially said they found Representative Schiff credible evidence of President Trump's criminal conduct," he said. "We really didn't see any evidence."

One question to consider is what else the January 6 commission was able to find in the testimony that was not included in the statement to the state.

“What appears on television is for the general public, not for judges or lawyers. Ilya Somin, a constitutional law professor at George Mason University in Virginia, is understandably trying not to spend too much time on relevant court details.