On January 6, 2021, Donald Trump supporters gathered at the Capitol Building to protest the result of the 2020 election. Trump later described the rioters, “peaceful people, these were great people.” Even after videos showed rioters smashing windows, crowds rushing into the Capitol, and security personnel in fear for their lives. He described the crowd as “unbelievable… too much spirit and faith and love, there was such love at that rally.” After video showed the crowds chanting “Hang Mike Pence.” Trump commented on the “love” at the rally even though five people died and many others were seriously injured.
On July 1, 2021, a committee was formed to investigate what happened. Many believe the former president incited the riot. Just as many others disagreed.
By May 2022, the committee had interviewed more than 1,000 people. Some members of Trump’s inner circle cooperated, while others refused. On June 12, 2022, the committee announced that it had enough evidence to recommend that the Justice Department indict Trump.
On June 13, 2022, the U.S. House Jan. 6 select committee started a series of hearings, gradually laying out the findings of the 10-month investigation. Have you been watching?
In today’s podcast, Dan Laurence joins Ruby and Melanie to talk about something other than the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial. Dan tells us about his upbringing, what dictators really hate, the takeaways so far, and why we should all be watching. He’s optimistic that if we all pay attention, we can move forward more united. Take a listen here.
For coverage of what’s occurred so far, we recommend the NYT, CNN, and NPR.
All major broadcast and cable networks are covering the hearings. C-SPAN is live streaming the hearings here. The next two hearings are scheduled for June 21 and June 23, 2022. The final two hearings will focus on the words Trump used to summon “a violent mob and directed them illegally to march on the U.S. Capitol.” There will be evidence of Trump refusing to speak with military leaders to try to control the violence, waiting several hours before calling on rioters to disperse.