After interviewing more than 1,000 witnesses and collecting well over 140,000 piles of documents, the House Commission finally investigates the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. Make the survey results publicly available..
So far, the panel has held three television hearings. Preview your overall conclusions in a carefully selected prime time session And two vast daytime sessions that delve deeper into the findings and their impact on American democracy.
We learned that Donald J. Trump was determined to move forward with his plans to overturn the outcome of the 2020 elections, despite being told. By his own adviser At that time it was illegal and there was no evidence of widespread fraud.Also heard new details about Mike Pence’s miserable day Hiding from the riots, we saw Previously unreleased footage From the perspective of police officers struggling to stop the mob, among other revelations.
To understand it all, I spoke with Times reporter Maggie Huberman, who is finishing up and finishing January 6th and its aftermath. Her next book on Mr. Trump.. Our conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity:
You have extensively reported on the events surrounding the Capitol riots. Recent scoops about fears between Pence’s aides Before January 6th about his safety. Have you been surprised at these hearings or changed your mind about the day or the months before?
The biggest surprise was John Eastman, a lawyer who advised Trump on his strategy to overturn the 2020 election results. Email him that he was interested in the presidential amnesty..
Impressive was Eastman after warning that two White House aides, Trump adviser Eric Hirschman and Pence adviser Greg Jacob, were proposing things in violation of the law. Was clearly asking for it. So I think the hearing has adjusted the opening to what we might expect about the crimes that may be involved here.
How do you read about how a former president responded to previous hearings?
My understanding from multiple people is that he was unhappy to see them. He is particularly frustrated to see his family’s clips-Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner-used against him.
Is Trump afraid of potential federal prosecution?
According to many who knew him, he was always afraid of possible prosecution long before he became president. Whether he does it specifically here is an open question. Some of his aides categorically claim that they do not believe that these hearings will lead to anything that touches him.
From the outside, the committee hearing on January 6th seems to be proceeding smoothly. What kind of internal confusion was inside the panel by this moment? Are there any significant disagreements about how to proceed between members or their aides?
Our colleague Luke Broadwater More reports In this regard, the Commission is not always coordinating where important areas of focus should be. One of the areas we have seen is what to do. Genie ThomasWife of Judge Clarence Thomas.
January 6 House Committee Hearing Theme
As is often the case with committees and institutions, some members and their staff also complained about the leak.
What is your assessment of the role of Congressman Liz Cheney in the Commission, and what is your understanding of what is driving her? Despite having only two Republicans, she often appears to be one of the more active members of the panel.
It’s not surprising because she’s clearly one of the leaders and co-chair. But she was important to them because it was so difficult to dismiss her as her political enemy.
In addition to a genuine Republican figure, she is the daughter of Dick Cheney, far from liberal plants. She was actually a supporter of Trump until she tried to undermine the 2020 contest to her voice before her election day. The Trump ally pointed it out as evidence of hypocrisy, but the reality is that it crossed her line for her.
But people can have multiple motivations, and she also targeted Senator Kevin McCarthy. Removed her from Republican leadership In the house — Immediately after the riot, I enabled Trump.
As a matter of political calculation, how would you rate McCarthy’s decision to reject the Commission and allow Chair Nancy Pelosi to determine its shape and scope? Do Republicans regret it?
Republicans mainly blame Pelosi for not letting McCarthy oppose members. But personally, some Republicans are angry with him, believing that he could have left too early and could state his opinion on everything if he had negotiated his name.
What is the impact of these hearings on elections? How important are they to the 2022 midterm elections or the 2024 presidential elections?
Blake, I think people’s lives are very dark financially so far, except for the ultra-rich, anyone affected by these hearings may have already decided. ..
Is this a good set of facts for Trump? Absolutely not. But in the medium term, I think it’s too early to say.
This is different from the question of whether Republicans are making it difficult to divert their eyes from Trump’s actions. This is what the hearing has most certainly achieved.
Also, so far, it’s very difficult to see the total testimony — and I don’t expect it to be obtained. Better For Trump — and see how someone takes it and says “it wasn’t that bad”. It is the Chief of Staff and Chief of Staff of former Vice Presidents Mark Short and Greg Jacob, and is developing these discussions. Not Nancy Pelosi.
I was able to see it being used by people who play against Trump in the 2024 Primary. But we are now far from it.
What to read (and see) tonight
Viewfinder
Unique vantage point
On Politics regularly features works by Times photographers. Here’s what Kenny Holston told us about capturing the image above:
As a photojournalist, I face many challenges that vary from assignment to assignment. One of the most common problems I have when working at the White House is getting to the position of storytelling photos that capture the most common events.
The White House press pool is often confined to a small compartmentalized area for events involving the President or Vice President. There is little freedom to find a place with a creative view.
The image above is from the East Room when President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris attended the bill signing ceremony. The press pool was packed into an area tied up with regular ropes, so I decided to put myself on the other side of my colleague in another area designated for the press.
For these types of rituals, this area is a bit of a visual disadvantage. But I knew that I might have the opportunity to create a type of image that I rarely see, and that other photographers probably don’t have. So I was able to roll the dice and take the image above.
thank you for reading.
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Is there anything we think is missing? Is there anything you would like to see more? We look forward to hearing from you.Send us an email at [email protected]..
