(Washington Observatory) The series of hearings on the riots on Capitol Hill in the United States have ended. What is the impact of the "serial drama" in the election year?
China News Agency, Washington, July 22, Question: The series of hearings on the Hill riots in the United States ended. What is the impact of the "serial drama" in the election year?
China News Agency reporter Sha Hanting
On the evening of the 21st local time, the eighth hearing in the series of riots on Capitol Hill was held on Capitol Hill during prime time.
The month-and-a-half-long hearing "series" has finally come to an end.
On January 6, 2021, while Congress was counting electoral votes for the presidential election, a large number of former US President Trump supporters violently stormed Congress, killing at least 5 people and shocked the world.
Data map: On January 6, 2021, local time, the joint meeting of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to confirm the results of the Electoral College vote was interrupted because Trump supporters broke into the Capitol and caused large-scale riots. The scene was extremely chaotic.
The picture shows the flames in front of the US Capitol in Washington, USA.
One and a half years after the incident, the special committee of the House of Representatives passed eight hearings, reproducing from multiple perspectives from the release of the November 2020 election results to Trump's spread of "the election was stolen" rumors, to the intention to take various measures to overthrow The election results until the entire process of Trump supporters storming Congress on January 6, 2021.
Those present at the hearing included former acting attorney general Rosen, former White House deputy national security adviser Pottinger, and "swing state" officials.
They used "first-hand information" to describe how Trump put pressure on "swing state" officials, pressured the Justice Department, pressured former Vice President Mike Pence to change the outcome of the election after losing the election, and how rioters stormed Congress on January 6 The true portrayal of Trump's "unstoppable" when he was in the building.
For the series of hearings, Democrats insisted it was "presenting the truth to the public"; Republicans called it a "political hoax."
With the November midterm elections approaching, Democrats no doubt hope that the hearing will bring the Capitol Hill riots that took place a year and a half ago back into public view, especially the role Trump and the Republican Party played in the event.
The first and eighth hearings in the series were broadcast in prime time and were broadcast live on all major U.S. television stations except Fox.
According to statistics, a total of 20 million people watched the first hearing.
In addition, Democrats are organizing more than 90 collective viewing events in various states.
The "New York Times" said that Democrats hope that the "serial series" of the hearing can replicate the grand occasion of the "Watergate" hearing.
Regarding the effect of the series of hearings, some Democratic analysts believe that the attention and discussion brought about by the riots on Capitol Hill "can play an important role" in motivating core Democratic voters to vote and attracting independent voters.
Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee said that while the economy and inflation are the top concerns for voters at the moment, the Capitol Hill riot hearing will also make middle voters aware of the Republican's role in the riots, "to a certain extent. influence voter decisions.”
Republican lawmakers accused Democrats of focusing on more pressing issues such as oil prices and shortages of milk powder, rather than bringing up the riots on Capitol Hill.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio said Democrats are taking taxpayer money not to solve "$5 gas, 6,000 illegal immigrants a day, record fentanyl deaths," but to "direct primetime." aired political farce".
According to an ABC/Ipsos poll, 60 percent of Americans think the Capitol Hill riots survey is "fair and just," and 38 percent disagree.
According to a Politico/Morning Consult poll, 40% of Americans believe the riots on Capitol Hill will have an important impact on their future choices.
As the core "target" Trump of the series of hearings, a Morning Consult poll shows that 56% of the American people believe that Trump's attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election constitute a "crime"; 59% of the people believe that special Trump is to blame for the riots on Capitol Hill, a 2 percentage point increase from before the series of hearings.
For the series of hearings, Trump himself issued a 12-page statement slamming the committee as "illegal" and intended to "deceive the public."
He also emphasized that the truth of the 2020 election is "rigged and stolen."
At present, although Trump has not announced his participation in the 2024 presidential election, all parties expect Trump to be basically determined to run.
According to the U.S. political news website "Politico", Trump's approval rate is still leading within the Republican Party, but it has begun to show a downward trend, and more Republicans are beginning to be willing to choose another Republican candidate for the next presidential election.
Bob Vander Plaats, a conservative leader in Iowa, said that even Trump's core supporters are starting to be "tired" of what Trump is doing. "Who wants the next term?" Is the general election still about the 2020 election? Or the events of January 6?"
The series of eight hearings on the Capitol Hill riots has ended, but the investigative committee said it will continue to gather evidence and plans to hold a new round of hearings in September.
The analysis believes that as the mid-term elections get closer, the Capitol Hill riots will surely become an "important tool in the toolbox" of the Democratic Party election, and how this "political drama" dominated by Democrats will affect the mid-term elections and even the 2024 general election. , the parties will wait and see.
(Finish)