Takeaways from the January 6 Committee Hearings

Yesterday the country got a detailed, front row view of the corruption and criminal conspiracy that took place in the White House after Donald Trump lost the election. 

The Select Committee presented damning new evidence from a top Trump White House aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, of how Trump and his MAGA allies planned, promoted, and paid for a criminal conspiracy to overturn an election they knew they’d lost – and knowingly sent a mob armed with AR-15s, pistols, and spears to the Capitol in a desperate attempt to hold onto power.

MAGA Republicans in Congress, Rudy Giuliani, and even White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows all sought pardons for their roles in what they knew to be an illegal, unconstitutional conspiracy.

They knew they’d lost the election, knew their scheme was illegal and “un-American”, knew it would almost certainly result in violence, and still, they conspired to stop the peaceful transfer of power. “We’re going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement [to the Capitol];” White House Counsel Pat Cipollone warned, “People are going to die and their blood is going on your f-ing hands.”

According to new evidence, Trump’s MAGA allies are threatening potential witnesses in order to discourage them from coming forward – another crime.

These hearings must serve as a warning: Trump and MAGA Republicans continue working today to put themselves in power regardless of the outcome of an election, including changing state laws, threatening state officials, and packing election administration offices so that they can have the final say over election results.

We must hold those involved in this ongoing criminal conspiracy accountable – no matter if they are former Presidents, members of Congress, or other federal and state officials. This is the only way we are going to protect our right to vote and choose our own leaders, and stop the current campaign to overturn future elections.

What the January 6 Committee Hearings are about:

Americans need to see the evidence of a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, a coverup, and the ongoing plan to sabotage future elections. Trump and his allies incited violence and have an ongoing plot to sabotage elections and threaten American freedoms. This is not just about an attack on Congress, it is about an attack on our country.

We need to hold people accountable for their actions and protect Americans’ right to pick our own leaders. These hearings help the public fully understand the threat Trump and his allies still pose today and prevent them from succeeding. Their actions before, during and after the insurrection show they broke the law and incited violence to claim power.

The evidence the committee has presented is a product of a rigorous non-partisan investigation, led by career prosecutors, that followed the facts and the law.

The evidence has already shown overwhelmingly that Trump and his MAGA Republicans planned, promoted, and paid for the attack on our country in order to overturn an election they lost:

• This plot began long before January 6th or even November 7th, when Trump tried to make it harder for people to vote and preemptively told his supporters to “stop the steal” – even after he was told repeatedly that his election fraud claims were false.
• A Federal Judge recently declared that “the illegality of the plan was obvious.” Republican Committee Vice-Chair Liz Cheney called this plan illegal and unconstitutional.
• Trump, top aides, and a number of Republican Members of Congress plotted for months to overturn the election with a coordinated strategy laid out in memos, briefings, powerpoints, and secret messages.
  • They pressured DOJ officials to investigate baseless voter fraud claims and tried to replace the acting attorney general when he refused.
  • They tried to force state legislators and election officials to change the election results and send fake electors to Washington.
  • They tried to pressure Mike Pence to illegally throw out electoral ballots, violate the Constitution, and unilaterally overturn the 2020 presidential election. When the violent mob chanted “Hang Mike Pence” for refusing, Trump commented that Pence deserved to be targeted.
  • MAGA Republicans in Congress, Rudy Giuliani, and even White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows all sought pardons for their roles in the scheme because they knew they were breaking laws.
• Trump and his allies have obstructed the investigation and refused to testify and turn over evidence. They continue to try and cover up the plot and their involvement in it, including by threatening potential witnesses.
• The committee has revealed the depth and breadth of the attack and how Trump and his allies knowingly incited an armed mob. 140 police officers were injured on January 6.
  • We saw that those responsible for the violence on January 6th echoed the lies Trump had peddled in the days preceding the insurrection.
  • Trump’s campaign used voter fraud claims they knew were false to drive fundraising, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars between the election and January 6th.
• 147 Republicans in Congress voted to overturn the election without a single piece of real evidence of voter fraud.
• Former officials who have testified to Trump’s criminal conspiracy, like former Attorney General Bill Barr, still say they would support him if he ran again.

The evidence will also show the threat continues: They are waging an ongoing campaign to sabotage future elections by making it easier for them to overturn elections they lose. 

• They have changed state laws so that Trump and his MAGA allies can have the final say over election results.
• They are threatening Republican election administrators who won’t go along with them.
• They are running candidates who still want to overturn the 2020 election for election administrative offices from secretary of state to county clerk. These officials won’t hesitate to overturn future elections if they or their MAGA allies lose.

They are laying the groundwork to successfully overturn our elections the next time. Casting doubt about our elections and working to overturn them when they don’t win threatens our freedom and way of life. Every American should be alarmed that this plot continues.

The evidence will show the need to hold people accountable to protect our right to choose our own leaders. We must continue to follow the facts wherever they lead.

No one is above the law in the United States.

Resources

Based on findings from our public opinion poll on the January 6 Insurrection, a majority of Republicans agree with most Democrats that elected officials should not remain in office if they coordinated with protestors ahead of time. Read the full findings here.

Data for Progress: A Majority of Voters Believe the Jan. 6 Attack Was an Attempt to Hold Power and Overturn the Will of the People

Democracy Docket: State Legislatures Reveal How the “Big Lie” Is Transforming

Hundreds of elected officials, candidates for public office, and law enforcement officers were involved with January 6th or spread disinformation that led to it. (For example Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows asked for pardons, another clear sign they knew crimes were being committed to overturn the election. They join the list of members of Congress who also asked for preemptive pardons.) Learn more using the Insurrection Index.