The January 6th committee held its second central hearing on Monday. This was following a Thursday evening primetime production of the first hearing.
What were the lessons learned at their big opening? It is not easy to answer. They made speeches, showed videos that we have already seen, and brought in a USCP officer to give an emotional account.
These hearings are not meant to be a repetition of what we already know. They are also not intended to be political grandstanding. They are meant to help connect the dots to Donald Trump and provide evidence of Trump’s criminal liability for co-coordinating the entry to the Capitol Building. We know Liz Cheney believes that the orange man is morally and physically responsible for the unrest. Did he plan or coordinate it? This is the accusation. Is there any evidence?
You would have expected that the committee would use its two-hour primetime time to present such evidence. It didn’t happen and it seems as though the second hearing will feature more of the same.
Donald Trump’s baseless claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and how it fueled the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection are the planned focus Monday of the second in a series of June hearings by a House select committee.
Live updates here: https://t.co/B3exEhxnUf
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 13, 2022
Monday’s Jan. 6 hearing to focus on Trump’s “dereliction of duty” during Capitol attack https://t.co/jUTpVE2YXI
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 12, 2022
We will receive the same presentation as last year by the committee, which claimed that Trump knew he was lying when it came to talking about the election being stolen.
It’s evident that they will resort to supposition even if that is the case. Trump does not believe the claims of former-AG Bill Barr, or anyone else in Trump’s orbit who told him they were false. It doesn’t matter if the president should believe them. I am simply stating the obvious: just because he was told something, doesn’t necessarily mean that he agreed to it.
Apart from that, I believe there is ample evidence that Trump believes the election was stolen. This proves that he really means it, no matter how you feel about its veracity.
Beyond that, I believe these arguments about Trump’s mind remain largely irrelevant within the context of this committee. The goal of the committee was not to litigate Trump’s claims about the election. Even if Trump did lie, it does not prove that he planned or coordinated the conflict.
What are we doing? These will be the second hearings in which the January 6th committee provided no support for its central thesis. It becomes evident that the January 6th committee has nothing of value and is simply using taxpayer money to create a political narrative. That point was Thursday.
Show evidence that Trump ordered protesters to enter Capitol. We continue to hear hype but no substance. This usually means that there isn’t any substance. They are trying to get as much political capital out of this as possible, even though they know they won’t be able to prove their main claim.
