Democrats hope new findings from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot probe break through to the public, even as both parties put their primary focus on other issues like the economy heading into the November elections.
Thursday’s prime-time hearing before the House select committee will be carried live by most major news channels, giving millions of Americans a front-row seat to hear material uncovered in an investigation that’s mostly taken place behind closed doors.
Democrats view the national attention surrounding the hearings as an opportunity for the party to not only energize its base but “speak truth to power” and sway voters who may be on the fence, says strategist Adam Parkhomenko.
“It’s a sanity check,” Parkhomenko told NotedDC. “It’s a chance to reset and remember why we care so much.”
“If we’re talking the next couple of weeks about the irresponsibility of Republicans and what they tried to do, I think it could help Democrats,” another Democratic strategist said.
But Democrats are also struggling to maintain the public’s interest on the topic 519 days later, with soaring gas prices and creeping inflation gobbling up much airtime.
A recent NBC News poll suggested that some Americans have changed their minds about what happened on the day of the riot, with fewer now believing that former President Trump is responsible for the attack.
Republicans, for their part, have sought to shift attention to rising prices while Trump on Thursday attempted to preempt the hearing and recast Jan. 6 as part of “the greatest movement in the history of our Country.”
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Republicans threaten counter-probe
Republicans vowed Thursday to investigate the Jan. 6 House select committee and Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) handling of Capitol security if they take back the House in November.
GOP members of the House Committee on Administration sent a letter asking the Jan. 6 panel to preserve its records, The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch reports.
“When Republicans once again hold the gavel and I am Chairman of the House Administration Committee, one of our first priorities is going to be launching a full investigation into Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Select Committee’s circus,” Ranking Member Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) wrote.
Meanwhile: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) doubled down pushing the committee to share what information it has on his role in the attack before he complies with a subpoena from the panel ahead of a Saturday deadline.
Democrats take on LA
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) will return to her home state of California on Friday to join President Biden and Vice President Harris at the Summit of the Americas.
Other Democrats who will stand alongside Pelosi at a press conference Friday include Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.), Reps. Gregory Meeks (N.Y.), Maxine Waters (Calif.), Raul Ruiz (Calif.), Joyce Beatty (Ohio) and Barbara Lee (Calif.).
So far, the notable absence of Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has overshadowed the event, emphasizing the growing hostilities between the U.S. and some Latin American counties.
The fallout of Obrador’s absence: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) accused the Mexican president of “blackmailing” Biden to include nondemocratic countries in the summit, after Biden excluded Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the guest list.
The public rift is rare, as the The Hill’s Rafael Bernal points out, since Mexico is an important trading partner and ally. A torn relationship could have potential economic consequences.
BIDEN DOES LATE NIGHT
President Biden sat for his first late-night appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in L.A. See what he predicted could cause a “mini revolution” at the ballot box this fall.
MEDIA BUZZ
The Washington Post has reportedly fired national political reporter Felicia Sonmez, who has vocally criticized the newspaper’s management over the past week.
Lawmakers push for Equality Act during Pride Month
House Democrats are urging the Senate to take up the Equality Act during Pride Month as GOP-led states advance transgender sports bans and other measures.
The bill, which would codify protections for members of the LGBTQ community, passed the House in early 2021 but has been stalled in the evenly split Senate.
“We need federal protections nationwide that recognize the full humanity of members of the LGBTQ community,” Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) said during The Hill’s An LGBTQ+ Summit on Thursday. “We cannot rely on individual states.”
Several states have recently advanced measures decried by the LGBTQ community, including Louisiana’s ban on trans athletes in women’s sports and Texas’ directive to investigate parents who help their children get gender-affirming care.
“We have to vote out these GOP senators so these bills get to the floor and we enshrine our rights,” Rep. Marie Newman (D-Ill.) told NotedDC.
Watch the rest of Thursday’s event here
PRIDE AROUND THE DISTRICT
The Capital Pride Parade will take place Saturday from 3-7 p.m. in northwest D.C.’s Logan Circle and Dupont Circle neighborhoods. List of participating groups is here.
Coming up on the Hill
Here’s what we have our eye on next week:
- The House will wait until at least Monday to vote on a bill to increase security for families of Supreme Court justices following the arrest of an armed man outside of Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home Wednesday. The bill passed the Senate in May in the wake of protests outside of justices’ homes.
- A bipartisan group of nine senators will likely bring a gun control bill to the floor next week. The Hill’s Alex Bolton reported that there was “expressed optimism” about agreeing to the framework by the end of this week.
- The Jan. 6 committee will hold its second live hearing Monday at 10 a.m.
And finally…THEATER IS BACK!
“Will on the Hill” is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a return to an in-person event at Sidney Harman Hall! The Shakespeare Theatre Company is also having a silent auction to mark the occasion.
You might spot them: Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.); Reps. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), James Clyburn (D-S.C.), Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Debbie Wasserman Shultz (D-Fla.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) with Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.). The cast will also include CNN’s Dana Bash.
The Hill is a media sponsor of the event.
That’s it for today. Stay with TheHill.com for the latest and recommend NotedDC to others: digital-stage.thehill.com/noted. See you next week.