Friend,

Tomorrow evening, an important series of public hearings will begin in
the House of Representatives, investigating the deadly Jan. 6, 2021,
insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and the campaign to overturn the
results of the 2020 presidential election. Led by the bipartisan House
Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the United States
Capitol, these hearings are an essential step toward accountability
and real consequences for the planners and perpetrators of the Capitol
assault - as well as for those who inspired and funded their
violent activities and the organized campaign to steal the presidency.

Since its formation in July 2021, the House Select Committee has
interviewed over 900 witnesses and received tens of thousands of pages
of documents - and the hearings beginning Thursday will be the
public's first chance to hear more about the investigation from
the Committee itself. The SPLC has met with Committee staff and
submitted written testimony documenting the involvement of extremists
in the planning and preparation for the insurrection. We hope that our
50 years of expertise researching hate and antigovernment extremist
groups will be an invaluable resource for lawmakers as they try to
understand how a far-right movement came together to attack the
Capitol, oppose free and fair elections and attempt an insurrection.

The attack at the Capitol destroyed property, injured dozens of
officers and left five people dead - and it was not an isolated
event. The extremist ideologies, conspiracy theories and lies of a
stolen election that fueled the attack were part of a concerted
campaign to overturn the 2020 election and steal the presidency. The
Capitol attack made clear the urgent need to fortify and strengthen
our democracy if it is to endure for generations to come.

In the coming weeks, the SPLC will provide commentary and analysis to
help explain this complicated and far-reaching investigation, what it
means for our democracy, and what you can do to help prevent future
attacks on our elections and our democracy. In the meantime, here are
some questions we hope these hearings will answer:

* What was the role of President Trump, his close advisers and
supportive members of Congress in inspiring or encouraging the
violent attack and intimidation of members of Congress
attempting to fulfill their constitutional duty to certify the
election results and transfer power peacefully?

* Did President Trump and high-ranking government officials
intentionally promote misinformation in an attempt to overturn
the 2020 U.S. presidential election results and sabotage future
elections by intimidating election officials and prompting
changes to state laws to make it harder for people to vote?

* What was the role of white supremacist and violent extremist
groups - like "Stop the Steal" leader Nick
Fuentes, the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers - in the
planning and execution of the attack, and who financed their
travel to Washington, D.C.?

* Was there criminal coordination between these domestic extremist
groups and government officials to cast doubt on the
presidential election through an organized disinformation
campaign?

The events of Jan. 6 and the concerted efforts to overturn the
election are still very much with us today. According to just-released
SPLC polling

[link removed]

, over three-quarters of those who believe the 2020 presidential
election was "fraudulent, rigged and illegitimate" also at
least somewhat agree with the "great replacement"
conspiracy theory that liberals are intentionally replacing
conservative white voters with people of color - the same
conspiracy theory cited by the man who killed 10 Black people in
Buffalo, New York, last month.

Challenging the spread of the extremist ideas that animated the Jan. 6
insurrection will require concerted effort from our government, which
is why we are so eager to watch these House Select Committee hearings
unfold. But this challenge will also require concerted effort from our
communities - from us. That's why, in partnership with
American University's Polarization and Extremism Research
Innovation Lab (PERIL), we are developing new approaches to countering
radicalization
[link removed]

that start from a public health perspective, instead of a national
security lens. Stopping extremism in our country must be a holistic
effort involving parents, caregivers, educators and more.

The Jan. 6 insurrection proved that extremist leaders can mobilize
large groups of Americans to use force and intimidation to attempt to
impose their political will. But no one is above the law. These
committee hearings are an opportunity to prove that this attack on
American democracy will not succeed, and that the right of the people
to choose their own leaders will prevail.

All over the country, there are activists and individuals who are
standing up for a multiracial democracy. We are proud to stand with
them - and with you.

In solidarity,

The Southern Poverty Law Center

 


DONATE

[link removed]

 


--
Unsubscribe [link removed] | Privacy Policy [link removed] | Contact Us [link removed]

Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
334.956.8200 // splcenter.org
[link removed]
Copyright 2022