Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

White supremacy is terrorism.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

Anne Laurie is a fucking hero in so many ways. ~ Betty Cracker

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

When I was faster i was always behind.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

The press swings at every pitch, we don’t have to.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

You are here: Home / Jan 6: Hearings / Primer on the Hearings of the January 6th Select Committee

Primer on the Hearings of the January 6th Select Committee

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Primer on the Hearings of the January 6th Select Committee

RedDirtGirl sent me this great primer from Just Security.  Here’s the introduction:

Nearly 11 months into its inquiry, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol already represents among the most complex and sprawling investigations in congressional history. In light of the volume and complexity of information, this resource is intended to organize and distill key prongs of the multifaceted campaign to overturn the 2020 election. Particularly in advance of this month’s public hearings, it also highlights key facts and findings that are already known, as well as important unanswered questions.

The resource is structured around the key prongs of the investigation itself — how the Select Committee has organized its investigative work — which mirror the key prongs of the campaign to overturn the election. The Committee’s investigative teams are color-coded in name (Gold, Blue, Purple, Red, and Green); this primer has in turn highlighted key facts and findings according to that same organizational structure.

Critically, “January 6th” has, like “Watergate,” become a useful shorthand. But as with Watergate, January 6th represents neither a single nor isolated event, but instead a much broader and more multifaceted effort to stop the transfer of power. We hope this resource is useful in distilling those components and what we critically know — and don’t yet know — about each. This resource was produced as a collaboration between Just Security and Protect Democracy

For each team, they break it into two parts:

– What We Know

– What to Look For

DOWNLOAD THE PDF FILE

Gold Team

Efforts by Trump and close associates to pressure federal, state, and local officials to overturn the election.

Blue Team

Law enforcement and intelligence agency failures.

Purple Team

Domestic extremist groups, QAnon, and online misinformation.

Red Team

Jan. 6 Rally planners and the Stop the Steal Movement.

Green Team

Following the money behind efforts to overturn the election.

 

Reader Interactions

48Comments

  1. 1.

    Ann Marie

    Anyone have a recommendation as to which channel to watch the hearings on?  I rarely watch news on television and I don’t know which group of commentators will be least annoying.

  2. 2.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I am really eager to hear from the Green Team in particular. Not as sexy as Gold and the others, but it might well end up being the most productive approach.

    Follow the money….

  6. 6.

    CaseyL

    @Ann Marie:  Probably MSNBC, since they have a good roster: Wallace, Hayes, Maddow, and possibly O’Donnell. Maybe more.

    For a very different kind of coverage, Stephen Colbert and The Late Show will be live right after the hearings (CBS), if you want a humorous (though still intelligent, serious, and seriously angry) take.

    I’ll be more or less at my neighbor’s mercy, since we’ll be watching at her house. I’ll advocate for Colbert, and settle for MSNBC.

  7. 7.

    Ann Marie

    @Baud:   But at least Balloon Juice jackals are informative and/or amusing, unlike the television people.

  8. 8.

    Ann Marie

    @CaseyL:  Thanks.  MSNBC sounds good.  I may switch between that and C-SPAN and see which works best for me.

  10. 10.

    Tony Jay

    RAINBOW TEAM

    Specialist distraction unit tasked with pre-trolling GOP obstruction efforts by being so fabulous that the Wingnutosphere’s agents simply cannot think straight.

  11. 11.

    Scout211

    @Ann Marie:

    I read yesterday that most networks are using the C-Span feed for the actual hearings, so you can’t go wrong with C-Span for the 2 hour hearing.

    The commentary before and after. . .  Ugh. I may just avoid that and read the comments here.

  17. 17.

    zhena gogolia

    @Ann Marie: even MSNBC would annoy me. But I’m too nervous to watch in real time. I’ll get it from BJ like watching an eclipse in a bucket of water

  19. 19.

    Another Scott

    It seems like there is some overlap in the Red and Gold teams.  E.g. Grassley (from January 5, 2021):

    Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said he would preside over the U.S. Senate debate surrounding disputes of the 2020 election results if Vice President Mike Pence does not show up.

    He suggested Pence was not expected to attend but Grassley’s staff later said that was a “misinterpretation” and that Pence was expected to be there.

    On Wednesday, Congress will meet to formally count the Electoral College votes after they were certified by states last month. At least 12 GOP senators and dozens of House Republicans say they intend to object to the Electoral College results as those votes are read, state by state, in a joint session that begins at noon CT Wednesday.

    During an exchange with reporters on Tuesday, Grassley was asked how he plans to vote.

    “Well, first of all, I will be — if the Vice President isn’t there and we don’t expect him to be there, I will be presiding over the Senate,” according to a transcript of his remarks sent by a spokesperson.

    […]

    (Emphasis added.)

    Why didn’t they expect him to be there??

    They need to follow the evidence, even if it points to “my good friend and colleague…”

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  20. 20.

    Mousebumples

    I don’t have cable, and while I like most of the NBC commentators, Chuck Todd is a hard pass from me. Probably going with PBS? Might catch Colbert tonight – or on YouTube tomorrow.

  23. 23.

    CaseyL

    I’m watching the ongoing defenestration of Michigan’s Republican gubernatorial candidates (the latest front-runner arrested for involvement in the insurrection) and wondering if there’s some DoJ sleight of hand happening.

  25. 25.

    Geminid

    @Wyatt Salamanca: This will come up in Mike Lee’s reelection fight. A few weeks ago Utah Democrats made a controversial decision to not field their own Senate candidate but endorse independent Evan McMullin instead. They are still fielding a full array of Democrats in other races.

    Utah is a very Republican state, but trump has never been as popular there as in states like Arkansas. For various reasons, the LDS Church members who dominate Utah politics have never been too keen on the MAGA movement.

  26. 26.

    band gap

    The colors chosen for the various investigative avenues is perfect.  Someone put some thought into those.

  28. 28.

    HRA

    I am going to watch it in the parlor along with my biggest spatula along side of me to use as needed.

  30. 30.

    geg6

    @Ann Marie: 
    CSPAN is great until there is a break and they open the phones. You’ll destroy neurons listening to that. MSNBC looks to have a pretty good roster for this. With the exception of Chris Hayes, of whom I am not fond.

  35. 35.

    Anyway

    I’m not planning on watching the hearings — can’t stand senators / politicians pontificating and holding forth.

    I’ll get the highlights from you guys later.

    Go Ds!

  38. 38.

    Geminid

    @hilts: I don’t have cable TV anymore, so I wouldn’t know. But has Mr. Hayes ever publically accounted for his attempt to publicize Tara Reade’s scurrilous accusations against Joe Biden? I thought Hayes’ conduct in that matter was reckless and discreditable.

  40. 40.

    hilts

    I don’t have a vivid memory of Chris Hayes’ coverage of Tara Reade’s accusation.  From what I’ve seen of his program, he never struck me as reckless.

  42. 42.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Another good primer on what we already know about 1/6, going into the hearings:

    “The committee is calling these proceedings hearings, but they shouldn’t be confused with a judicial hearing in which a court examines and weighs evidence and reaches a verdict. In the upcoming presentations, the judge and jury will be the American people.

    …

    What we won’t learn from the hearings is whether Trump or any other high-level politicians are definitively guilty of crimes. This is not a criminal trial. The select committee, as a legislative body, has different goals. Their stated goals are to learn the truth about what happened, to present that truth to the American people and consider legislation to prevent additional attacks.

    The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was carried out with the intention of preventing the peaceful transfer of power and upending democracy. The American people therefore deserve to know the entire story of how it happened and who was responsible.

    And indeed, while the committee has promised tantalizing new information, it’s worth refreshing our memories before the hearings start, because in fact, we already know a great deal about the lead-up to Jan. 6, and how the events unfolded.”

  44. 44.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Scout211: Thanks for that link. I couldn’t get into the C-SPAN channel because I don’t have a television provider

    @Geminid: Agreed. The Tara Reade thing was an obvious set-up, and Hayes went out of his way to publicize her lies. Don’t know if he ever apologized for his role in propping up that faux scandal.

  45. 45.

    MagdaInBlack

    I just discovered Meidas Touch is streaming it live. I have it on Youtube

  46. 46.

    Geminid

    @hilts: The junior Senator from Vermont brought out a dubious side in some people. The Tara Reade story gave his adherents hope of an 11th hour “victory,” despite the story’s flimsiness and her history as a liar and grifter. Hayes did not take it as far as did Ryan Grim and others, but it’s still something I think he should have addressed later. But maybe he has.

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