The January 6 Panel Begins Its Public Case Against Trump
The House committee investigating last year’s attack on the Capitol launched the opening salvo Thursday in its public case against Donald Trump, accusing the former president of masterminding an unprecedented scheme to retain power that was not only illegal, but also led directly to the deadly violence in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.
In a prime-time hearing aimed directly at television viewers, the select committee presented never-before seen video testimony from some of the most powerful figures in Trump’s orbit harshly dismissing his claims of a stolen election.
Those video snippets were interspersed with emotional, in-person testimony from a Capitol Police officer gravely injured during the attack; an appearance from a filmmaker with unique insights into the white nationalist groups who stormed into the Capitol to overturn Trump’s defeat; and raw footage of violent clashes between police and rioters outside the building, which left more than 150 officers with injuries.
