A little over a month ago, the first hearing of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into January 6, 2021, broadcast in prime time on television, had gathered 20 million viewers, recalls Fox News. The last audition of the summer also had the right to prime time. On the agenda this time: Donald Trump’s inaction on the day of the attack on the Capitol in Washington.
“What the commission dubbed ‘the 187-minute hearing’ must show that the former president, rather than trying to stop the assault on Capitol Hill, let it go and even gloated about it, staring at her television from the White House »summarizes the Huffington Post.
This was the meaning of the introduction of Bennie Thompson, chairman of the commission, present virtually due to a positive Covid test. “For 187 minutes on January 6, no one could move this man of unbridled destructive energy. Neither his aides, nor his allies, nor the violent chants of the rioters or the desperate pleas of those facing the riot.”did he declare.
As written by Los Angeles Times, “The actions that the former president did not take at that time say as much as what he did”. Pour PoliticoThursday’s hearing was the committee’s most important assignment so far: “convince America that Donald Trump has validated chaos”.
The debates were led by Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the committee and a vocal critic of Mr Trump, and Democrat Elaine Luria. The two armed forces veterans interviewed former National Security Council member Matthew Pottinger and Sarah Matthews of the White House communications team.
“President Trump has not failed to act. He chose not to act., denounced Mr. Kinzinger, the word perhaps more liberated than others in his camp since he will not represent himself in his constituency of Illinois. The chosen one reported the words of advisers and allies of the 45th president who implored him to act one way or another. In an excerpt from an interview with Pat Cipollone, for example, we can hear Mr. Trump’s former adviser explain that he ” and others “ pleaded for him to intervene publicly.
“All of this is of course incredibly damning for Trump”comment on Washington Post. “But the subtext is also damning to many Republicans. Many of them continued to support Trump, despite knowing clearly the role he played in the fatal violence of January 6.”
New auditions in the fall
Among the highlights of the hearing were the sound recordings of the Secret Service in charge of protecting Vice President Mike Pence, criticized by Mr Trump for not preventing the certification of the election results and the victory by Joe Biden. “We have to move now. If we lose any more time, we may not be able to leave.”, said one of the officers as the rioters entered the Capitol. the New York Post notes that “the situation has become so tense” officers called their loved ones to say goodbye.
Publicist Sarah Matthews, who quit after what she called “of one of the darkest days in the history of our nation”insisted that Donald Trump could have spoken “almost instantly” if he had wished, a camera was always ready to turn 24 hours a day near the Oval Office, .
And when the president finally recorded a message in the Rose Garden of the White House, CNN notes that he did not read the text made available to him exactly. However, this was common during his tenure.
Le New York Times found a “unusual level of levity in the room”. Bursts of laughter were heard when CCTV footage showed Missouri Senator Josh Hawley running down the halls after he greeted the protesters earlier.
After following the riot on television, refusing to mobilize the police and delaying addressing his supporters directly, the president returned to his residence around 6 p.m. when the a curfew in the capital, says the Washington Post. He did not mention the attack and simply told a White House employee: “Mike Pence let me down”.
“Thursday’s audition was supposed to be an explosive finale”noted Politico. “She looks more like the end of the beginning. The investigation has opened up extraordinary new avenues of investigation,” continues the site. “The dam has started to crack”, said Liz Cheney, the other Republican on the commission. The work of the parliamentary group should resume in September.