When it comes to the debate over the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6 and the House select committee investigating that national tragedy, Republicans and Democrats are engaged in political saber-rattling.
Nuance is lacking. One can be outraged over both the Jan. 6 select committee and the Capitol attack.
Let’s start with the select committee. It is nothing but political theater by Democrats, orchestrated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It uses police officers, such as the ones who provided powerful testimony in front of the committee on Tuesday, as props. Few questions were asked about the ill-preparedness of the Capitol Police and the National Guard. Instead, the committee was mostly interested in how the officers felt that day in terms of safety.
The select committee would have been avoided had Republicans in the Senate not blocked a bill to form an independent commission to investigate the Capitol riot — similar to the respected and bipartisan 9/11 Commission. This would have allowed both sides of the aisle to seek the answers to questions they have. The excuses Republicans gave to being against the commission (for example, it lasting all the way until the 2022 midterm elections) were laughable and inexcusable.
Nonetheless, one can be upset over the blatant partisanship of the select committee and outraged over what was anything but a “normal tourist visit.” It was an attack on America’s republican democracy. A mob sought to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. Those who are outraged over last summer’s city riots without feeling the same way toward those who attacked the Capitol are hypocritical. Too many conservatives have inexcusably downplayed what happened in January.
Put simply, Republicans and Democrats alike can and should be doing better.
Jackson Richman is a journalist in Washington, D.C. Follow him @jacksonrichman.
