The January 6th Committee will hold its 4th hearing today at 1:00 p.m. EDT. Witnesses for today are shown below, all republicans; some of the witnesses will provide live testimony, taped testimony will be shown for others.
The major theme for today — Trump's involvement in the illegal “fake electors” scheme, a scheme to pressure state legislatures and election officials to help overturn the 2020 election.
Rep. Adam Schiff will lead much of Tuesday's presentation.
The Politico article below has some of the details -
From www.politico.com/… -
Under Trump’s plan, Pence would be presented with competing slates of electors — those certified by the governors, and those certified by state legislators — and he would assert the extraordinary power to choose which slates to count.
But no state legislature responded to Trump’s demand, and Pence, without any genuine controversy, rejected the scheme as illegal.
Trump-aligned lawyers concocted the effort, leaning on fringe constitutional theory and the guidance of John Eastman, a primary architect of the effort to pressure Pence on Jan. 6. Eastman himself acknowledged in emails obtained by the select committee that the Pence plan would be “dead on arrival” without the backing of state legislatures — yet he pushed ahead anyway, suggesting that the confusion around alternate electors would give Pence enough cover to act.
Trump’s own White House counsel’s office also raised doubts about the plan, according to testimony released by the select panel in court filings. And in the days before Jan. 6, Pence’s chief counsel Greg Jacob engaged in an intense debate with Eastman, contending that not a single justice of the Supreme Court would back his plan — a point he said Eastman reluctantly conceded.
Rusty Bowers, the Republican speaker of Arizona’s state House who rebuffed Trump’s pressure to appoint electors through the state legislature will serve as an in-person witness.
Mark Meadows will also be implicated in today’s hearing.
In other news, the committee is considering a 7th hearing and perhaps even more, as new evidence continues to pile up.
Alex Holder, a Filmmaker with extensive access to and interviews with trump and his inner circle, has been subpoenaed to provide raw footage in his possession related to Jan 6.
Apparently, some footage has already been submitted, according to Alex Holder’s spokesperson. You can bet there is more.
Epilogue
What these hearings will lead to and whether trump and his co-conspirators will be convicted remains uncertain. However, public opinion is shifting as they learn more and that is an important outcome of these hearings.
So, let’s do our part in educating the electorate about Jan 6 and the coterie of criminals the GOP has become. We must also make it clear to the American public that the entire republican party is rotten to the core; voting for them will mean an end to American Democracy and will be the beginning of a dystopian future. You can take a look at the Texas republican party platform to get a preview of how republicans plan to turn America into a banana republic.
The November elections are coming and we have to win the House and Senate. Let’s keep our eye on the ball and not get distracted by little things. Let’s resolve to keep encouraging, inspiring and impressing on people to Get Out and Vote.
Let’s keep writing and talking about the Jan 6 insurrection and the hearings day after day. Let’s not let it slide out of our collective conscience. If we feel disappointed or dismayed at Biden or Schumer or Garland or other Democrats, for whatever reason, then let’s turn that frustration into action. Let’s lend them a hand, let’s do our part. Let’s write about the issues on social media, discuss them with friends and family, and spread the message; let’s neutralize the negative reporting of the right-wing disinformation machine. Let’s support each other and amplify the voices of reason and wisdom. Let’s volunteer and join a local progressive group. Let’s donate what we can. Let’s rise and make a difference. We will feel better and history will thank us.
