The Jan. 6 Committee makes its case
ZWF #24: Sunday, July 24, 2022
Eight hearings down, and possibly more to go. Over the last month and a half, the January 6 Committee has publicly laid out crucial brand new information regarding the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol in unprecedented fashion. Thursday night we learned even more about former President Donald Trump’s actions, or inactions, on January 6 and 7.
Inside this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, a recap of the latest January 6 Committee hearing and a look at what’s to come. Plus, a look at what Zander’s been reading this week, and a compilation of the top headlines from the past week of news and sports.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 71 features a look at the ever-growing wealth gap that is currently plaguing our society. This week’s episode of the podcast breaks down how wealth inequality has gotten to this point and what actions can be taken. Download and listen to the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Zander’s Weekend Facts is here to give you the facts about what has been going on in the world around us this past week. You’ll just have to read these facts, instead of listening to them on the Zander’s Facts podcast.
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, July 24, 2022:
The January 6 Committee zeroes in on Trump
On June 7, 2022, the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol held their first public hearing to detail information they have learned regarding the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol and former President Donald Trump’s involvement. Over 20 million Americans watched the primetime hearing live, learning new details about how the insurrection went down. Zander’s recap of the first hearing can be found here.
On Thursday, July 21, 2022, the Committee held its eighth and final hearing of the summer. The previous seven hearings were filled with never-before-seen witness testimony from those around former President Trump before, during, and after January 6, incriminating new information against Trump and his allies, and timelines of what led up to the insurrection.
Thursday’s hearing was led by the Vice Chair of the Committee, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY). Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) tested positive for Covid-19 recently and was unable to attend in person. Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) were the Committee members who presented the new evidence.
The Committee invited two witnesses who gave their testimonies on Thursday night. Sarah Matthews was the deputy White House press secretary on January 6 and resigned shortly after the insurrection. Matthew Pottinger was a deputy national security adviser who resigned from the White House on January 7, 2021.
The eighth hearing was focused entirely on former President Donald Trump and his actions during the insurrection and in the aftermath. During the hearing, the Committee provided a timeline of Trump’s actions after he left the Ellipse and returned to the White House. At that time, rioters began moving from the stage where he spoke toward the U.S. Capitol building.
During that time, the Committee alleges, it was not the actions that Trump took, but the actions that he didn’t take that are most important in this situation. Here is some of the evidence the Committee laid out against Trump:
The Committee alleged that just minutes after Trump had left his rally at the Ellipse, he was already aware of the violence at the Capitol. The Committee also alleged that in the hours after Trump returned to the White House, he stayed in the White House dining room with the television turned to Fox News.
The Committee also dove into one of the tweets that Trump sent during the insurrection. At 2:24 pm, Trump sent a tweet that denigrated his Vice President, Mike Pence. The Committee alleged that the tweet was emboldening to the rioters at the Capitol and was sent even after Trump knew Pence was in danger at the Capitol.
The Committee released never-before-seen audio and video of Pence and his Secret Service team fleeing from the Senate chambers as rioters were breaking in.
The Committee also included a video of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) who was pictured pointing a fist in support of the rioters outside of the Capitol before the violence began, running down the halls of the Capitol once the rioters broke in.
There appeared to be a unified reaction in the Committee room to the video being played.
The Committee then turned back to Trump and his forced public reactions to the insurrection. The Committee released brand new footage of outtakes of Trump’s rose garden speech where he asked all the rioters to go home, while also telling them “we love you.”
The next day, January 7, Trump was filming another speech to address the nation in the aftermath of the insurrection. Once again, a speech was prepared but Trump decided to use his own words. The Committee released more outtakes that included the fact that Trump refused to say “the election is over” even after the insurrection had taken place and the electoral college votes had been certified.
To close the hearing, Rep. Cheney summarized the points that were made during Thursday’s hearings as well as the previous seven hearings.
To get the full picture, you can watch the full hearing here (click to watch on YouTube):
For now, all eyes may turn from the Committee to the Justice Department. Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that DOJ staffers and officials were paying close attention to the hearings. The Committee released loads of new information, but whether that information is enough to indict former President Trump or those around him is yet to be seen. Whether the Committee’s claim that former President Trump refused to act to stop a violent riot that he incited is found illegal will be up to Garland and DOJ. The Department of Justice may also choose to wait until after future hearings when even more evidence is sure to be unveiled.
Originally, the Committee only planned to hold eight hearings in the summer and then release a midterm report, followed by a final report in the fall that would provide a summary of their findings and potential recommendations of charges to the Department of Justice. However, the Committee appears to still be gaining new information and new witnesses willing to testify. At the end of Thursday’s hearing, Vice Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) announced that the Committee would present new findings in additional public hearings in September. The work of the Committee is clearly not done.
Additionally, it was learned that former Trump advisor Steve Bannon was found guilty of contempt of Congress. Bannon failed to comply with a Congressional subpoena that was sent by the January 6 Committee, as he was unwilling to testify. The court ruling could place Bannon in prison for up to one year, but Bannon will most likely appeal the ruling.
For further analysis on the eighth hearing and the work of the Committee, check out these articles:
NPR - Trump didn't act and didn't want to, plus 4 other takeaways from the Jan. 6 hearings
The New York Times - The Jan. 6 Panel After 8 Hearings: Where Will the Evidence Lead?
What Zander’s been reading this week
There has been a lot of doom and gloom about the state of American democracy recently, including on Zander’s Facts (and if you just read the above section.) But if you’re looking for relief, you aren’t going to find it here.
This week’s featured article features a take on the state of American democracy and how its current decline may be on an irreversible trajectory. Brian Klass, a global-politics professor at University College London, takes a look at examples of democratic declines that he has studied for years to find what the future could hold for the United States.
Read this week’s featured article in The Atlantic - America’s Self-Obsession Is Killing Its Democracy — (Article link on Apple News)
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top sports facts from the week in the ZF Sporting Club:
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon has retired from his position atop World Wrestling Entertainment. McMahon temporarily stepped down from his leadership roles a few months ago, a move that became permanent. McMahon is currently being investigated by WWE for sexual misconduct allegations, and it was recently revealed by the Wall Street Journal that McMahon had paid four women over $12 million to keep quiet over allegations they had against McMahon. McMahon bought WWE, then known as World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from his father Vincent McMahon in 1982, and was a leader in bringing wrestling mainstream in the United States. McMahon’s daughter, Stephanie McMahon, and WWE President Nick Khan will serve as co-CEOs of WWE.
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred sparked outrage with comments this week regarding minor league player salaries. On Tuesday, the day of the MLB All-Star Game, Manfred said in regards to minor league players, “I reject the premise that they're not paid a living wage.” Minor league players who have no MLB experience between $4,700 and $14,700 per season. The day before, on Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a bipartisan letter to Manfred that questioned the 100-year-old antitrust exemption that MLB enjoys, with the letter mentioning minor league players. MLB’s antitrust exemption excludes the league from federal antitrust laws that prevent businesses from engaging in anti-competitive practices.
The University of Tennessee football program was informed by the NCAA of 18 recruiting allegations under former head coach Jeremy Pruitt. According to a notice of allegations obtained by Sports Illustrated, the NCAA outlined 18 separate incidents where Pruitt, his wife, and his staff broke NCAA recruiting rules by paying recruits and their families and providing recruits with meals, lodging, transportation, and other services during recruiting dead periods. All of the allegations were classified by the NCAA as Level I, the highest classification on the NCAA’s infractions scale. Pruitt was fired as Tennessee’s head coach in January 2021 following an internal investigation by the university and has since been replaced by current head coach Josh Heupel.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him with the Cardinals until 2028. Earlier this offseason, rumors had swirled around Murray and the Cardinals after Murray removed all mentions of the Cardinals from his social media platforms. However, any rift between the two sides appears to have been mended with Murray signing a new deal with the team. The five-year extension is worth $230.5 million, with $160 million guaranteed, making Murray the second-highest paid player in the NFL per season.
Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has met with LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman about a potential broadcasting role with the upstart golf tour. Barkley has caught much ire over the meeting, with LIV being funded by the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund and being accused of “sportswashing.” Barkley told the New York Post earlier this week that any potential offer from LIV would likely have to be considerably higher than he is currently making as a panelist on TNT’s Inside the NBA. Barkley acknowledged he probably would not be able to do both jobs and pushed back against critics of LIV, saying “We have all taken blood money, and we all have sportswashed something.” NBC and Golf Channel analyst David Feherty announced he was leaving NBC and Golf for a role with LIV on Friday.
Rapid-fire Facts
Here are the top news facts from the week in rapid-fire fashion:
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has resigned after failing to reconcile differences between the different parties in his coalition. Italian President Sergio Mattarella called for a snap election to be held on September 25 to form a new government, with many fearing far-right parties could win the majority in parliament. Draghi, the former President of the European Central Bank, was appointed Prime Minister by President Mattarella in February 2021. Draghi will remain in the position as a caretaker until the results of the upcoming election are known.
Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci is planning to step down from his position atop NIAID. Fauci told multiple news outlets this past week that it is unlikely he will remain in his role past January 2025, when President Biden’s current term end. Fauci is also the Chief Medical Advisor to the President. Fauci has served as the head of NIAID since 1984 and has helped lead the government’s responses to HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Zika, and Covid-19.
A proposal to reform the Electoral Count Act has drawn bipartisan support in Congress. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle unveiled potential changes to the vaguely written act on Wednesday, in an effort to prevent a repeat of former President Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost. The changes to the act would include the clarification that the Vice President’s role in the certification of the results of the Electoral College is “solely ministerial,” require any challenge to a state’s set of electors to have 20% of members from each chamber of Congress, and would identify a state’s governor as the individual who would send the state’s election results to Congress unless otherwise specified by the state. With large support emerging for the bill, it is expected to pass Congress and be signed by President Biden.
President Joe Biden tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday. The White House announced that Biden, who is fully vaccinated and double-boosted against the virus, was experiencing mild symptoms and was able to continue conducting the duties of the office. Biden’s condition has since improved according to Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the Physician to the President, with Biden receiving the antiviral drug Paxlovid to help fight the virus. Biden’s positive test comes as the U.S. is experiencing the highest seven-day moving average of Covid cases since mid-February.
Congress has recently taken up two separate bills aiming to protect access to contraception and LGBTQ+ rights. On Thursday, the House passed a bill that would protect access nationwide to birth control, with eight Republicans joining all House Democrats in passing the bill. However, it is unlikely that the bill will find much Republican support in the Senate, leading to its likely demise. On Tuesday, the House passed a bill that would codify the right to interracial and same-sex marriage. 47 Republicans joined all Democrats to pass the bill and send it to the Senate. The bill’s fate is currently unclear in the Senate but appears to have more support than the bill that would protect birth control access. Both of the bills were introduced after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas mentioned the issues as ones to revisit in future decisions in his opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to Episode 71, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts. Check out Zander’s Facts’ Linktree page for more on anything Zander’s Facts related: Zander's Facts on Linktree
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That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in print return next Sunday, July 31, 2022.
