A Finale (?)
October 2022 Imperfect Union
On Thursday, the January 6 Committee held its last (?) hearing. While they didn’t say for sure that it is the last hearing, it certainly felt like a finale. For each hearing, I’ve written a tweet thread summarizing the arguments, evidence, and key take-aways. But I thought it might be helpful to write an overall summary, what we learned that we didn’t know before, and the questions that still remain.
Now you might be thinking, who cares? It’s in the past, why does it matter? Although I suspect you believe in the importance of history if you are here in the first place. Or maybe the last decade has ground you down and you are thinking, “nothing will come of it, nothing matters.”
Both understandable reactions. It’s been a rough go here. But I think that it matters a great deal. All the things we care about in our daily lives—our families, our jobs, the price of gas, our rights, global warming, national security, etc.—all those things are better in a democracy. All of them. That doesn't mean that a democracy is always the easiest way to do things. A society built on the idea that everyone can have a voice is bound to be messy, complicated, fractious, and divided.
But it’s worth it. Just look at Ukraine. The country is fighting a total war because the Ukrainian people want to decide what their country looks like, rather than have it dictated from afar.
At the heart of a democracy (or a republic) are elections. The people choose who represents them in government. I am sure I have written this here before, but it’s worth repeating. The moment an election is overturned by force or fraud, it is no longer a republic. It is a military dictatorship, an oligarchy, or a monarchy.
So, the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was an attack on our democracy. If it had worked and the election had been overturned, we would no longer be a republic. Period.
It matters very much to understand why this happened in order to hold the perpetrators accountable, but also to prevent it from happening again. Most first coup attempts fail. Usually, the second ones don’t. So, knowledge about the weaknesses in our electoral system and our institutions is essential to protecting against future attacks.
If you want your votes for tax policy, abortion, education policy, and economic policy in the future to mean something (regardless of which way you vote), then you must be confident that those votes will be counted. That’s why I say that democracy is at the very heart of any other concerns you might have about housing, the economy, and more.
Ok, thanks for reading my pitch for why you should care. I’ll get to why I think it wasn’t a waste of time in a bit.
If you’d like to read the summaries first, here they are. Just a reminder, you don’t need a Twitter account to read them:
Hearing 1:
Hearing 2:
Hearing 3:
Hearing 4:
Hearing 5:
Hearing 6:
Hearing 7:
Hearing 8:
Hearing 9:
I paid close attention to politics during the Trump administration. I watched everything, I read the news, I monitored regular developments. In the lead up to the election and the transition, I noted Trump’s claims of fraud and his reluctance to accept the results. I witnessed his press conferences alleging widespread theft of votes (without offering evidence).
And then I watched the attack on the Capitol. I was shocked, horrified, saddened. But maybe not surprised, because I had seen the violent rhetoric online. But I will admit, I kind of thought former President Trump fell backwards into the attempted insurrection. I thought he got lucky (in a sick way) that it all came together like a perfect storm.
Since January 6, 2021, lots of reporting has slowly trickled out about what he might have known ahead of time, efforts to overturn state results, and pressure campaigns on state and federal officials. But there was definitely still a widely held view that maybe it was an accident.
Over the last several months, the hearings have demonstrated a few things:
President Trump knew that he lost the 2020 election.
There was no evidence of fraud, despite multiple investigations and 62 legal challenges.
Trump planned, as early as July 2020, to proclaim victory, regardless of the results.
He followed through with this plan, declared victory on election night, and spent the next several weeks convincing his supporters of the Big Lie.
Trump personally led the efforts to pressure state and federal officials to overturn election results in states, including Georgia and Arizona.
Trump personally pressured the DOJ to challenge the results of the election.
Trump personally pressured Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the counting of the electoral votes—a direct violation of the Electoral College Act.
Trump planned for the January 6 rally and march to the Capitol. The march was not spontaneous but premeditated and circulated among his supporters.
Trump knew the crowd was armed before sending the mob to Congress. He fully intended to go with them, know the threats of violence and the presence of weapons.
Trump knew about the violence at 1:20 PM. For nearly 3 hours, he watched the coverage on television.
He refused pleas from staff, government officials, and family to intervene.
Only after reinforcements arrived, did Trump tell his supporters to go home. They immediately complied.
He refused to fully condemn the violence and has since justified it.
The Committee collected evidence from thousands of witnesses and shared video evidence, text messages, and emails from dozens of witnesses. Most were Republicans, who were related to, appointed by, or worked for former President Trump.
Each allegation was supported by multiple witnesses and extensive documentation.
The magnitude of the evidence has made a difference. The hearings have uncovered critical information that helps Americans understand what happened and why. Even if Trump and his associates aren’t criminally indicted for their role in the insurrection, this information will be central to long term accountability in the history books and the court of public opinion.
There are signs that that public opinion is shifting, ever so slightly. A small minority of Americans are watching the hearings in full, but the details and clips are trickling into our discourse. When Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, over 30% of Americans still supported him. Today, the narrative about Watergate is pretty clear. That process takes time and information.
Finally, I think the hearings have given the more earnest of us hope. Politics can be pretty cynical these days and I don’t blame you for getting dark about these things. But Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger basically gave up their careers to pursue the truth about January 6 and hold the former president accountable. I likely don’t agree with them on many policies, but I applaud their commitment to democracy. That bravery and sacrifice gives me hope.
Despite all the evidence and the hours of coverage, there are some big questions that still remain. I think these questions probably aren’t the purview of the J6 Committee, so I’m hoping the appropriate authorities will pick up the baton.
1. Thursday’s hearing revealed new evidence that the FBI and the Secret Service had extensive intelligence ahead of time indicating there would be armed rioters, violence, and attacks aimed at government officials and the Capitol. Yet, the Capitol was woefully unprepared. Why didn’t the FBI do more? Why didn’t D.C. police do more? Why didn’t the Secret Service do more? There are lots of answers that have been suggested, including individual and institutional bias, culture, first amendment limitations, and the president’s disinterest. Some combination of the above factors might be correct, but I want to know who made those decisions and why. I want to know who made the calls or failed to make the calls. And I want to know what is being done to ensure that doesn’t happen again. I think most agents are well-intentioned, dedicated to their jobs, and loyal patriots. But the threat of political violence has only escalated since January 2021 and another lapse could be catastrophic.
This question is one Congress must investigate but might be better handled by the Intelligence Committee or the Committee on Homeland Security. Or some combination thereof.
2. What is the explicit connection between the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, and the White House? Roger Stone in particular. The evidence shows he visited the White House on December 12 and was in close and regular contact with both groups. We know that Chief of Staff Mark Meadows called into the “war room” meeting on the night of January 5 at the Trump Hotel. Stone was in D.C. Was he at the meeting? Did any other members of the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers communicate with White House staff?
As the Committee mentioned, members from both organizations have been charged with seditious conspiracy, and several individuals have pled guilty to this most serious of charges. I suspect the Department of Justice has the same questions and is exploring the connections as I type.
3. What is going on with the Secret Service? How is it possible the organization tasked with mastery of technological crimes deleted huge batches of text messages around January 6 after Congress has specifically instructed government organizations not to erase records? The Committee said that it had received over a million records, which will be a good start. But those texts are pretty important.
Additionally, the apparent politicization of the Secret Service requires further exploration. Or at least a few officers. Trump appointed Tony Ornato as his Deputy Chief of Staff—perhaps the most partisan of all White House positions. Ornato had been an active agent just prior to this appointment. After Biden’s inauguration, Ornato returned to the Secret Service until August 29, 2022, when he resigned. Other Trump staffers reported that they stopped talking when certain agents were present because there was a belief they were politically loyal to Trump. Even if those allegations are wrong and Ornato acted with perfect propriety, that appearance of political rot undermines the institution and needs investigation.
Please note, I do not think all Secret Service agents are corrupt or political. I’ve had the pleasure to meet many in D.C. and they’ve been lovely, professional, and dedicated. But the institution only works if it has the trust of its protectees and that has been damaged.
Those are the elements still on my mind. Historians are notoriously terrible future predictors, but if I had to speculate, I think those questions will matter in the history books.
That post got longer than I anticipated quickly! Thanks very much for letting me process my thoughts with you all. Can I answer any questions for you about the hearings? Are there any details you are curious about? Please let me know below.
