For those who continue to minimize what happened on Jan. 6, the first hearing of Congress's congressional committee was a disappointment.In a meeting that established the tone for the remainder of the body's work in the coming year, four officers from the Capitol police force gave three hours of emotional testimony.Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the Committee, stated after the hearing that he would immediately issue subpoenas to anyone the committee wishes to testify. Although subpoenas can be enforced through the courts, it has been more than a century since Congress was able to detain and arrest someone who defies a subpoena. Thompson stated that he didn't want to allow former President Donald Trump's aides time to delay and stall the process, anticipating that they would attempt to drag it out.After Tuesday's hearing by the House select committee on Jan. 6 Capitol Attack, Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), (Tom Williams/CQ roll call via Getty ImagesThompson made it clear that the committee will not only focus on the past but also the ongoing threat to democracy created by Trump's campaign of lies regarding the 2020 election.Thompson showed a clip of insurrectionists threatening to return to Washington with 30,000 firearms during his opening statement. This man's warning is a reminder that the threat to our democracy has not gone away. Thompson stated that it looms over democracy like a dark cloud.While institutions survived, a peaceful transfer was not possible this year. It didn't happen. He said it.After Trump spent months making false and unsupported claims about a rigged election, the insurrection began. This alternative reality was believed by millions of Trump supporters. They then tried to stop certification of the 2020 election on January 6.After a period of reflection by GOP leaders following the insurrection, Trump's lies were reaffirmed and promoted by many Republicans. The testimony of the four officers from the police department that testified on Tuesday was filled with attempts to minimize, distract or defend what occurred.Continue the story"Truly, nothing has prepared me for the address of those elected members of government who continue to denial the events of that day, and in doing so betrayal their oaths of office," stated Michael Fanone, a Washington, D.C. police officer who was dragged down Capitol steps by rioters, beat with flagpoles and fists, and electrocuted multiple times at the base his neck. He heard the attackers yell, Kill them with your own gun.D.C. Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone (center) listens to Capitol Police Sergeant. Aquilino Gnell spoke at Tuesday's hearing. (Oliver Contreras/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesTuesday's hearing was filled with the terrible events of Jan. 6. It was hard to ignore them. Fanone and three other officers recounted the horror of Jan. 6 in detail. The committee also saw video footage from each officer's body camera. Fanone's body camera captured other officers standing over Fanone and transporting him to the Capitol. He said that he was unconscious for approximately four minutes.He said that I was electrocuted repeatedly with a Taser. Although I am certain I was screaming, I don't believe I could hear my voice. I thought of my four daughters who might lose their dad. I thought about my four daughters, who could lose their father.These gripping clips showed a horde of bodies fighting inch by inch for control of the Capitol's entrances. According to Daniel Hodges, D.C. Police Officer.Thompson explained to the officers that their bravery during battles allowed them to wait for reinforcements. The National Guard and other law enforcement took several hours to arrive, and that is why the committees are investigating the matter.A Senate panel investigated the details of the delays in law enforcement's response and the weaknesses in law enforcement's preparation for Jan. 6. There is still much to learn about the reasons that the Capitol was so poorly defended and not prepared for violence on that day.Harry Dunn, an officer in the Capitol Police, stated that our chain of command hadn't told us to prepare ourselves for these levels of violence.At the hearing, Daniel Hodges (Meteral Police Officer) listens to Harry Dunn, Capitol Police Officer. (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesRep. Liz Cheney (Republican from Wyoming) stated that the committee will investigate the possible role Trump and his aides played in these delays.It is essential that we know what happened at the Capitol. She said that we must know exactly what happened at the Capitol every minute of the day, in every conversation and phone call, as well as every meeting between the White House staff leading up to, during, and after the attack.Cheney is a key figure in the Jan.6 committee. She is the most prominent Republican who has fought against the Trump cult, which Hodges calls the Trump cult. She was once a member of the Republican leadership in Congress until her party members removed her because she refused to confront Trump's lies.Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), the other Republican on this committee said that Jan. 6's events were a direct threat against democracy, unlike the violence during the protests for Racial Justice in the summer 2020. Kinzinger said that he did not feel threatened by the future of self-governance during the summer protests. He also noted that he was a member the Air National Guard and was there for the protests.There's a big difference between breaking the law or rejecting it, and between crimes such as a grave crime and a coup.Following a rally with President Donald Trump, Rioters stormed the Capitol. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images).Many House Republicans want to dismiss the committee and label it a partisan sideshow. Some House Republicans claimed that Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, was responsible for intelligence failures prior to Jan. 6.Tweet Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who Pelosi prevented from joining the panel due to his earlier arguments that a committee wasn't necessary.A second group of far-right Republican lawmakers, who have tended to conspiracies and hyperpartisan lies such as Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs, held a press conference before the Justice Department. They asked for the release of insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol Jan. 6. Gosar called insurrectionists political prisoners.Capitol Police Sergeant. Capitol Police Sgt.Trump's actions during and leading up to the riot left many defending him at the brink of death on Tuesday. They had little to no substance in their defense to the overwhelming documentary and video evidence of Jan. 6.Trump supporters broke into the Capitol Jan. 6. (Win McNamee/Getty Images).It is not clear what happened that day. After the first hearing, it became evident that Thompson, Cheney, and other members of the panel were determined to reveal more about Trump's involvement in the delay of law enforcement.Thompson stated that efforts to subvert democracy are ongoing. The select committee will work hard to eradicate this threat.Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. House Minority Leader, has declined to nominate anyone for the panel and he doesn't have any allies to promote his points during deliberations. While Trump's most loyalists will rationalize Jan. 6, to his hard-core cable TV viewers, Thompson hopes that the majority of Americans will see the committee moving forward without distraction.Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows and Trump's daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump are among those who could be called to testify at a deposition or public hearing.Thompson indicated that the committee could hold another hearing in August but has not yet announced its next steps.____Yahoo News has more information:
