A hearing on Wednesday at the US House of Representatives about what went wrong in the Jan. 6 Capitol siege frequently spiraled into partisan shouting matches, with lawmakers more often blaming each other than thoroughly questioning witnesses about the events of the day.
Democrats and Republicans have so far been unable to agree on a bipartisan commission to investigate the incident, and officials involved in responding to the attack have pointed fingers at one another.
The latest witnesses, including former US acting secretary of defense Christopher Miller and former US acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen, were called by Democrats, who are conducting their own set of investigations in the House.
Photo: Reuters
Amid the rancor, the hearing yielded few new answers about the confusion that day, including why it took so long for the National Guard to arrive at the Capitol.
Democrats focused on former US president Donald Trump from the start, with House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney saying the riots were “incited by shameless lies told by a defeated president.”
Republicans defended Trump and said that most of the people in the crowd at the Capitol were patriotic.
“It was not an insurrection,” US Representative Andrew Clyde said.
He described those in attendance as peaceful and said video of their presence in the Capitol did not look much different from a “normal tourist visit.”
Who was ultimately in charge on Jan. 6 remains in doubt.
Reports have said that then-US vice president Mike Pence told military leaders at 4:08pm to “clear the Capitol,” but Miller said that he did not consider Pence’s statements a direct order, as he was not in the chain of command.
Democrats attacked Miller repeatedly — at some points screaming at him — about what they said were unnecessary delays by the Pentagon in sending help.
US Representative Ro Khanna told Miller that he has “never been more offended” by a witness statement than he was at Miller’s testimony defending his own actions.
Khanna told him: “Your pugnacious style is not going to override the Democratic process” and said he was after “total self-promotion.”
US Representative Hank Johnson said that Miller might have “slow-rolled” troops and asked if Trump or any officials had pushed for a delay.
“Absolutely not. No, that is not the case,” Miller said.
US Representative Paul Gosar defended Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by the Capitol Police as she tried to enter the House chamber, saying she was “executed.”
The US Department of Justice after an investigation did not charge the police officer who shot her.
“Democrats continue to demonize tens of millions of Americans who support president Trump and have legitimate questions about the integrity of the elections,” US Representative James Comer said.
Individuals who take to “crime, violence and mob tactics” are wrong, and that was true on Jan. 6 and also during last summer’s riots in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, Comer said.
It is “hypocritical” that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democrats are focused on Jan. 6 instead, he said.
US Representative Andy Biggs played videos of riots last year in Portland, Oregon, comparing an attack on a federal courthouse there to the Capitol siege.
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