After the last scheduled Jan. 6 Committee hearing in this series, the White House and Democrats are surveying the damage they have inflicted on former President Donald Trump and Republicans 100-odd days before November’s midterm elections.
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But while the committee’s investigation has uncovered previously unknown details regarding the Capitol attack and dredged up the most troubling moments of Trump’s administration, the hearings may not have drawn the contrast with Republicans that Democrats were seeking as voters remain concerned about the economy.
Round two of hearings will begin in September, closer to the midterm elections.
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Republicans, such as Republican National Committee spokesman Will O’Grady, dismissed the eight Jan. 6 hearings, which started last month, as political theater and “a mere distraction” to Democratic-created crises. Others have criticized the bipartisan panel for not looking into the pipe bomb placed outside the RNC’s headquarters on Jan. 6 and for relying on uncorroborated information, in addition to hiring a former television executive to help raise the production value.
“From historic inflation to a deadly border crisis, Biden and Democrats have failed Americans,” O’Grady told the Washington Examiner. “Meanwhile, Republicans are focused on the issues that matter to families.”
One Democratic strategist conceded the electorate was preoccupied with the economy, though cited polling suggesting Jan. 6 is a drag for Republicans among independents.
“The committee might be releasing an interim report, and that could give it a little bit more juice closer to the fall,” she said. “It’s no secret that economic issues are top of mind for voters. We all know that, and that’s why we are focused on delivering a message that Democrats are fighting for working families and have been fighting to lower costs.”
For political and media historian Brian Rosenwald, the hearings “probably exceeded Democratic expectations.” Although select polls indicate Trump’s numbers have suffered, Republicans are simultaneously contending with part of their base preferring “to hear that the election was stolen,” Rosenwald said.
“Honestly, I don’t think too many people really expected them to move the needle before they started, but they seem to have moved it at least a little bit,” he added. “The bombshell revelations from Cassidy Hutchinson and some of the other admissions from texts and emails have hammered home that Trump and his inner circle knew he lost and knew violence was possible, maybe even probable, on Jan. 6 and kept spreading lies and stoking anger instead of trying to tamp it down.”
Regardless of where Jan. 6 ranks as a voter priority, several Democrats have campaigned or will stump off of the committee’s work, particularly if their opponent has a connection to the riot. Examples include Reps. Elaine Luria (D-VA) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), as well as California Democratic House candidate Will Rollins. Republicans still hold an average 2-percentage-point advantage over Democrats on generic congressional ballot polling, according to RealClearPolitics.
And Democratic political action committees, such as American Bridge 21st Century, aired cable advertisements in Washington, D.C., during Thursday’s prime-time hearing. Such spots took advantage of higher-than-anticipated ratings despite a drop-off. The first evening event attracted more than 20 million viewers, and Cassidy Hutchinson’s daytime appearance was watched by 13 million people.
Over the past month, the public has learned how deep Trump and his “Make America Great Again” allies’ “conspiracy to overturn an election and stop the peaceful transfer of power went,” according to Democratic National Committee spokesman Ammar Moussa.
“It’s more important than ever to ensure MAGA Republicans don’t gain power this November and continue to undermine our democracy,” Moussa said.
For Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman Helen Kalla, her party will keep “exposing Republicans’ role in our democracy’s darkest day and reminding voters that Republicans are all too willing to throw out your vote if they don’t agree with it.”
The committee has effectively prosecuted the political case against Trump that he and his allies “planned, promoted, and paid” for the Jan. 6 “conspiracy,” Defend Democracy Project spokeswoman Nicole Haley added.
“The testimony of high-ranking Trump officials shows how Trump was responsible for knowingly inciting an armed and violent mob to descend on the Capitol once his illegal scheme failed to work,” she said. “As the investigation continues in the weeks and months ahead, we’re sure to see even more evidence of the culpability of Trump and MAGA Republicans.”
President Joe Biden has signaled some appetite for a rematch against Trump, most recently telling an Israeli television station that he “would not be disappointed” if he drew the former president as an opponent in 2024. Many other Democrats hope Jan. 6 will prevent a third Trump campaign or make it less likely to prevail.
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With the Jan. 6 committee limited to making recommendations, Attorney General Merrick Garland has been tight-lipped with respect to his Justice Department‘s own investigations but repeated that “no person is above the law” when asked by reporters this week whether that encompassed Trump. As of July 6, roughly 203 people have been sentenced for Jan. 6-related federal crimes, with 99 receiving prison time.
