By now, just about every American in the country has seen or heard some of the testimony from the Select Committee on the January 6th Insurrection. Billed as an effort to “investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the terrorist mob attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021” it has […]
By now, just about every American in the country has seen or heard some of the testimony from the Select Committee on the January 6th Insurrection. Billed as an effort to “investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the terrorist mob attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021” it has predictably devolved into little more than an anti-GOP infomercial full of sensational and poorly sourced accusations.
Others have suggested that this is yet another impeachment trial of Donald J Trump. So, what ever happened to all that evidence and proof that Congressmen Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, et al had that would oust the 45thPresident of the United States? Well, here we go again all at the people’s expense.
Over the course of several hearings, members of the Committee have alleged, among other things, that the President and his allies knew their voter-fraud claims were roundly false and that their attempts to overturn the election were illegal. They have even accused some of their Republican colleagues of conducting “reconnaissance tours” the day before the protests in anticipation of an armed insurrection at the Capitol.
Nothing has been definitely proven and in some cases, key evidence has been selectively edited or curiously disappeared. As was the case previously, it’s just an imagined narrative that the mainstream media echoes and further splits an already divided country. This is the price “We The People” pay when objective journalism and due process leaves the building.
The latest so-called “bombshell” was dropped on June 28th by Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to then White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. She testified that President Trump upon hearing in the Presidential limousine after the “Stop the Steal” rally on the Ellipse concluded that he would not be able to make a trip to the Capitol, became irate and “reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel.” Never mind that the testimony provided was based on second-hand hearsay or that mere hours later the Secret Service agents detailed to President Trump that day offered to testify under oath that this did not happen. The damage had already been done.
Any casual observer of politics could have ascertained that these hearings would be one-sided. The premise under which the Committee was created as well as the 7-5 Democrat advantage the committee was initially slated to operate under would have seen to that. But the decision by Republican leaders in the House to bow out of the hearings entirely when Nancy Pelosi pushed Congressmen Jim Banks and Jim Jordan off the committee was an unforced error that lies solely at their feet.
One can only wonder if participation by true conservative-Republicans in the hearings – not by Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, the two never-Trump Republican sycophants Pelosi ultimately enlisted to create her “bipartisan” committee – could have brought some much-needed balance to the proceedings. The ability to cross-examine witnesses such as Ms. Hutchinson under oath and while the cameras were rolling could have poked holes in some of the more outlandish allegations and helped to bring the truth to light much sooner.
President Trump said as much in a recent interview with Politico’s Jake Sherman when he was asked about GOP Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s decision not to seat Republicans on the January 6th committee:
“Well, I think in retrospect, I think it would have been very smart to put [Republicans on the committee]…I think it would have been good if we had representation…[Jim Banks and Jim Jordan] were great. They were great and would’ve been great to have them. But when Pelosi wrongfully didn’t allow them, we should’ve picked other people. We have a lot of good people in the Republican Party.”
The fact that this was all allowed to happen a few months in advance of what may be the most consequential midterm election of our lifetimes should serve as a clear indictment of the man who wants to serve as the next Speaker of the House. One cannot help but question the leadership skills of Kevin McCarthy and wonder if he is up to the task. As the current top Republican in the House, he bears the brunt of the blame for this massive miscalculation.
All indications point to a massive red wave this fall that will allow Republicans to retake the House of Representatives. Between now and then rank and file members must do some serious soul searching about the future direction of their caucus, especially its leadership. Our country is currently at a pivotal crossroads and the margin for error is slim. We can ill-afford to elect a Speaker of the House who is not up for the fight.
