HOUSTON — Why is the January 6 committee holding a hearing in primetime?
A House select committee has spent nearly a year investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol, plus the months leading up to it. It was formed in the wake of the attack as lawmakers talked about the need to find out what led to the storming of the Capitol, how the building was breached and how to prevent it from happening again.
There are only two Republicans are on the committee, neither of who are allies of former President Donald Trump.
The New York Times reports that Thursday night’s hearing will focus on the timeline of the attack. We know two witnesses expected to testify.
One is a British documentary filmmaker who followed the extremist group the Proud Boys that day and the days leading up. The other is a Capitol Police officer injured in the attack.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney is one of the two Republicans on the committee.
Ahead of this hearing she told CBS there will be new revelations, saying the American people must watch to understand how easily our democratic system can unravel.
This is the first of several public hearings with the final expected in September.