It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy.
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THE JAN. 6 HEARINGS: A ROUGH GUIDE
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed])
Correspondent
Starting Thursday, lawmakers will begin to lay out findings from their nearly year-long investigation into the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol has no acronym. (Understandably, “HSCIJ6A” was never attempted.) Instead, it is commonly known as the “January 6th Committee.”
Working largely behind closed doors, the group has consistently and doggedly pursued interviews and documents, while proving divisive with some conservatives, who accuse it of playing politics with the attack.
The vast majority of its work has not been revealed, until now. We thought it a good time for a rough guide on what we know and what we expect.
What are the basics about the committee again? Let’s start with an easy one. The committee includes nine members:
* Chairman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi
* Six other Democrats: Pete Aguilar, Calif.; Zoe Lofgren, Calif.; Elaine Luria, Va.; Stephanie Murphy, Fla.; Jamie Raskin, Md.; Adam Schiff, Calif.
* Two Republicans: Liz Cheney, Wyo., and Adam Kinzinger, Ill.
Where did this come from? The committee was created by the House itself in House Resolution, or H. Res. 503 ([link removed]) , which passed 222-190 last June. (Nerd note: an “H. Res.” is usually a nonbinding resolution of the House. But it is also how the House forms and regulates committees, per its own rules. It does not need any Senate approval.)
Why are there so few Republicans? The resolution gives House Speaker Pelosi the sole power to appoint 13 members to the committee, with five members appointed after “consultation” with Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. But Pelosi found two of McCarthy’s suggestions – Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Jim Banks, R-Ind. -- unacceptable, arguing ([link removed]) they would not seriously investigate the events of Jan. 6. Republicans were irate, pointing out that Jordan is the leading Republican on the House Judiciary Committee and Banks heads the large Republican Study Committee.
This fomented more bitter division. But it also led to a committee of like-minded investigators. Two House Republicans, Cheney and Kinzinger, told Pelosi they were interested in serving. They were also the two who publicly felt that former President Donald Trump may have played a role in Jan. 6.
OK, so that’s structure. Can we move on to content? Yes, please.
What is the committee trying to do with these hearings? These will not be typical congressional hearings. In most hearings, expert witnesses are asked questions by both parties, and lawmakers are trying to craft legislation.
In this case, all of the committee members share the same point of view: The Jan. 6 attack was an insurrection and was likely fueled by political rhetoric and officials, including Trump.
What will that look like? Again, this will not be typical. The committee can essentially script much of what happens in the hearings. Members are coordinating with one another on what they will say and what they will ask. Perhaps the biggest difference for viewers will be the style of the hearings. We expect something tailor made for a broad television audience. That means extensive video clips from Jan. 6, and from some of the more powerful interviews witnesses gave to the committee behind closed doors.
So, what does the committee want to achieve? Two things. First, to convey the gravity of the Jan. 6 attack. The committee, in particular, will raise questions about some Republican lawmakers, including Trump.
The second goal of these hearings is to lay the possible groundwork for criminal cases. All criminal decisions will be up to the Department of Justice, but the committee aims to build up the evidence for further charges in some cases.
What about other Republicans? What will they be doing during the hearings? Currently, Republicans who object to these hearings do not have plans for any formal hearings of their own, nor any events while the committee is meeting. Their strategy, however, is to take to the airwaves, especially in conservative-leaning media, and make their case that these hearings are entirely political.
HOW TO WATCH THE JAN. 6 HEARINGS
By Joshua Barajas, @Josh_Barrage ([link removed])
Senior Editor, Digital
It’s been more than 500 days since a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol.
Since last summer, the House select committee has been largely working behind closed doors to investigate the insurrection, conducting nearly 1,000 interviews and compiling documents and correspondence from the days leading up to the attack, and the days that followed. And, on Thursday, the committee will hold its first public hearing to lay out what a source on the Jan. 6 committee described to a journalist as a “roadmap of criminality” ([link removed]) that sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
The June 9 hearing is the first of several planned public hearings that will occur throughout the month. At this time, the committee has only confirmed times and dates for the first two hearings.
* Thursday, June 8 at 8 p.m. EDT – Day 1 of the Jan. 6 hearings.
* Monday, June 13 at 10 a.m. EDT – One of the hearings not scheduled for prime time.
The committee, which has been keeping details and scope of the hearings close to the chest, have not released a list of who is expected to testify this week.
How to watch the hearings
The PBS NewsHour will carry the hearings live with reporting and analysis, as well as have special programming as investigators show their findings from its probe.
The NewsHour’s special coverage of the first Jan. 6 hearing will begin at 7 p.m. EDT here ([link removed]) .
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In the hour before the first hearing, digital anchor Nicole Ellis will host a preshow that reviews a timeline of the Jan. 6 attack, what the hearings could cover and a conversation with a democracy expert on the potential impact of the hearings’ findings.
More on the Jan. 6 probe:
* Watch: What could be expected ([link removed]) in the upcoming Jan. 6 committee hearings.
* One Big Question: More than a year after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, will the hearings break through with the public ([link removed]) ?
* Who’s Been Charged?: Some 800 people have been charged in the Capitol attack. The Associated Press takes a look at who’s been held accountable so far ([link removed]) .
* Perspectives: It’s not yet clear on what’s new or different about what the committee will present about its findings on the Jan. 6 attack. Tamara Keith and Amy Walter weigh in on what they’re looking out for ([link removed]) during the hearings.
#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Joshua Barajas, @Josh_Barrage ([link removed])
Senior Editor, Digital
The first Jan. 6 hearing Thursday comes days ahead of the 50th anniversary of this major political scandal.
Our question: What was the scandal? (We tried to not give too many clues – we believe in you.)
Send your answers to
[email protected] (mailto:
[email protected]) or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.
Last week, we asked: Which president signed a resolution that recognized a weeklong celebration of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the U.S.?
The answer: Jimmy Carter ([link removed]) . In 1978, he signed the proclamation for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week in 1978. In 1990, George H.W. Bush expanded it to a month. And then, two years later, May became the officially designated month for the annual celebration.
Congratulations to our winners: Tim Smith and Dean Gottehrer!
Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
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