Watching the hearings about the Jan. 6 insurrection is every American’s civic duty
During prime time Thursday, the first of a series of hearings will occur on the Jan. 6 attempt to overturn the will of the people in the 2020 presidential election. It will likely be the first of 6 or 7 hearings.
With so many crises grabbing our attention, it might be easy to pass off the Capitol Insurrection as old news. I urge all Idahoans to watch these hearings. They are the most important bi-partisan public forums dealing with political intrigue and corruption since Watergate.
These hearings will demonstrate that, on this subject and in this year, bi-partisanship is alive and well in Washington, D.C. Watching a congressional committee involved in civil discourse is worth your commitment, a real-time civics lesson. We will view dedicated members of Congress together with expert staff conduct the people’s business.
In total, over the past 10 months 900 witnesses have testified and 104,000 documents have been reviewed. Patriotic Americans have come forward to answer questions.
The American public has not seen all of the video and audio of Jan. 6. There will be more, and it will be graphic. The secrecy of the committee hasn’t disclosed the sworn testimony. The names of all who testified are not yet known. Shortly we will see more and know more. I predict we will be surprised by who stepped forward.
We will understand the timeline of efforts to subvert the will of the people. Jan. 6 was an unforgettable day, but it was not the day that the efforts began to attack our sacred democracy. The efforts to dislodge Americans’ faith in our electoral system began way before Jan. 6 The hearings will tell us who knew what and when. The hearings will follow the money.
We will be reminded of past elections and the peaceful transfer of power. Tune in to grasp the historical significance of our prior elections and the respect they demanded from freedom loving nations around the world. The exceptionalism of our elections was diminished on Jan. 6 for corrupt political purposes.
Approach these hearings as a voter who knows the 2020 election was conducted with the highest standards in the world. All 61 lawsuits alleging fraud and intended to shake our faith in our electoral system were tossed out of court. Ignore efforts to whitewash these hearings with trivial, partisan, crude and empty rhetoric.
The nine members on this bi-partisan committee are living up to their sacred oath as members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Observe their demeanor. Bask in their love of country. Sense their commitment to our Constitution. Connect with their love of precise detail. Follow their calendar of events. Applaud their passion for our democracy. Note their mutual respect. Relish their work as Americans, not partisan warriors. Take note of their conservative approach to the law.
These hearings will lead to a final committee report of findings and recommendations and it will likely be unanimous. This committee is not for theater. It is to protect our democracy and ensure that an attempted coup can never happen again.
And very importantly, watch these hearings so you can identify true American heroes. In this forum they won’t be wearing body armor or bearing weapons. The true heroes of this committee’s work will be Americans you have never heard of and were insiders to the attempted derailment of the 2020 election. These heroes will be Americans who stepped forward to tell the truth in the face of enormous pressure from the organizers, funders and perpetrators of the attempted coup. They will be brave citizens who resisted the fawning, bullying and lying of those with authoritarian tendencies to invalidate your precious vote.
These hearings are important to our democracy.
As one fortunate to serve in Congress, I remain awed by the power and history of our representative government. Through wars, depression, riots and unrest, our form of government of and by the people has endured. We must and will find out what happened, who was involved and why.
Watch the hearings.