It had been sold as a great moment in television, an explosive show, the first episode of a thrilling series showing how democracy almost fell over. But the public hearing of the Commission of Inquiry into the attack on the Capitol has dragged on a little at times, perhaps for lack of speakers as powerful as during the proceedings ofimpeachment of Donald Trump. More than a Netflix series, the two hours in prime time took more the form of an indictment whose purpose was to highlight the central role that the former tenant of the White House played in invalidating the elections. “January 6 was the culmination of a coup attempt,” said Bennie Thompson, the Democratic chairman of the commission. “Donald Trump was at the center of this plot.” “President Trump summoned the crowd, rounded it up and lit the fuse,” added Liz Cheney, the commission’s vice-chairman and rare Republican.
The exercise was not easy. The nine-member commission created in July had to summarize hundreds of hours of testimony and thousands of documents. Calmly, without embellishment or lyrical flight, Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney methodically laid out the facts by mixing never-before-seen videos, live testimony and pre-recorded depositions from members of Trump’s team, including his daughter and son-in-law.
The objective of this first session was to explain that January 6 was not a spontaneous outburst of violence but a carefully planned and orchestrated insurrection, notably by two far-right groups. She gave voice to heroes, like the policewoman who was injured in the battle and told of a “war zone”, but also to the militiamen who all said they had come “at Trump’s call”. The strongest moment was the broadcast of the images of the capture of the Capitol, some never seen before, which show a violent mob attacking the police, the employees and the elected officials who flee hastily…
A Majority of Republicans Still Believe the Election Was Rigged
Of course, there have been some revelations. According to witnesses, Trump said his vice president “deserved” to be hanged. And members of his government discussed the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment which would have allowed them to table it. But will the Americans get excited about the other five hearings?
Above all, will the Commission’s conclusions convince the population of the danger that Donald Trump represents? All nine members have solid records. But will they have enough evidence to answer the central question: what was Trump doing during the riot and what is his share of responsibility? Liz Cheney has promised that upcoming hearings will detail the ex-president’s efforts to lobby election officials, the Justice Department…
This is unlikely to solve the crisis of confidence in the electoral system. A majority of Republicans still believe the 2020 election was rigged and that Joe Biden is illegitimate. FoxNews was also the only channel not to broadcast the hearing. Republicans are confident the Commission’s investigation will have little impact because people have moved on and have many other pressing concerns, including skyrocketing gas prices. “Is Nancy Pelosi (the leader of the House Democrats) going to hold a hearing in prime time on inflation?” mocked Republican Rep. Steve Scalise.
As for the Democrats, they are well aware that this eleven-month investigation will probably not attract more votes for them in the mid-term elections next November. But it could, hopes Adam Schiff, one of the members of the Commission, “awaken Americans to the threat that still hangs over our democracy”. If only.