By The Associated Press
June 10, 2022 GMT
https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-congress-government-and-politics-8814bc945be4ac4efde25dfe9e719278
In presenting his case to the American public, the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection made a central argument: look at the tape.
The highlight of Thursday night’s hearing was a video reconstruction of the attack on the Capitol. For 10 minutes, he went point by point, showing the rioters overwhelming and beating police officers as the crowd burst into the building to stop Donald Trump’s election loss certification.
The video had a powerful impact on the courtroom and among Democrats. Public police officers consoled themselves as they relived the violence. U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn wept during the images of the rioters hitting their colleagues with baseball bats and gowns.
New York MP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted a photo on Instagram of her television with images of the riot. “There was (and still is) a widespread GOP campaign to minimize the scale of this attack,” he wrote in a headline.
“We were stuck on the dead end campus,” he added. “This is what an American terrorist attack looks like.”
Meanwhile, many Republicans downplayed the new images or did not see them at all. Unlike other channels, Fox News did not broadcast the committee’s hearing and allocated hours to the hosts and guests who denigrated it. Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich said: “This is not a legislative hearing, this is a production.”
These are some of the highlights of the commission’s video.
THE PROUD CHILDREN
Three months after Trump said they should “step back and stay out,” the Proud Boys had many members stationed in Washington.
The committee’s video shows members of the far-right extremist group gathered at the National Mall hours before Trump’s speech urging his supporters to “fight like hell.” By the time Trump spoke near the White House, members of the Proud Boys had already arrived at the Capitol several blocks away.
The former leader of the group is now accused of seditious conspiracy, as are other members. Federal prosecutors allege that they carried out a coordinated attack on the Capitol.
Parts of a video reconstruction of the Capitol attack shown to the House committee hearing.
INCLUSION
At 1 p.m., when President Nancy Pelosi began certifying the election votes, the rioters had already broken through police lines east of the Capitol.
A riot was declared at 1:50 p.m., and lawmakers soon moved to a safe place. The new video released Thursday shows people running in the office of Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Parts of a video reconstruction of the Capitol attack shown to the House committee hearing.
THE POLICE
Unmanned officers fought the assailants who came with weapons and bear spray. Officers’ body cameras and aerial security footage captured much of the melee.
Why the National Guard was not there yet and why the members of the Guard took so long to arrive are issues that continue to be discussed among the key figures. The head of the U.S. Capitol Police has this day alleged that House and Senate gun officers delayed response to their requests, which those officials have denied. The Pentagon said it did not have all the forces ready and needed several hours to deploy.
The chief and the two sergeants of arms resigned after the attack.
Parts of a video reconstruction of the Capitol attack shown to the House committee hearing.