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Part of that sentiment reflects how the conservative media covered – or maybe not covered – the siege. The events of January 6 were mentioned about four times more often on CNN and MSNBC than on Fox News, according to an analysis of television news clips. And that certainly reflects how much partisanship has become in our politics.
But these beliefs also show how difficult it will be for President Nancy Pelosi to persuade much of the country that her select committee is conducting a truthful, non-partisan investigation into the January 6 riot. Republicans in Congress can choose not to participate in a bipartisan inquiry into one of the most shocking events in US political history with little fear of backlash from their grassroots. In fact, many of their constituents don’t want to hear much about the January 6 attack at all.
Others are clearly looking for their leaders to defend the actions of the rioters on this day. That’s part of why Ms Pelosi rejected two of Representative Kevin McCarthy’s choices for the committee, prompting Mr McCarthy, the minority leader, to remove all of his Republican nominations from the panel.
These two selections, Representatives Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio, had openly expressed their hostility to the committee’s mission and tampered with revisionist history on the siege, and they may be important witnesses to the events. that preceded this day.
Would keeping Mr. Jordan and Mr. Banks on the committee have helped to bolster the credibility of the effort with Republican voters? It seems unlikely, given that the two had previously announced plans to undermine the effort.
Ms. Pelosi can still argue that her panel is bipartisan. It will include Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming, and reports suggest she may add Rep. Adam Kinzinger from Illinois, also a Republican. Both lawmakers are vilified by their party base for attacking Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the election and are unlikely to be seen as credible messengers by many Republicans.
McCarthy, meanwhile, has vowed to conduct his own investigation.
So, after months of negotiation, the end result will likely be two panels, one led by Democrats and the other by Republicans. This is a situation that sums up our divided political moment: Regardless of the process, testimony or conclusions, the results of either committee are unlikely to be approved by voters of the opposing party. And achieving any kind of national consensus on what happened on that horrific day sounds as much like a fantasy as any false flag conspiracy theory.
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