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JANUARY 6th COMMITTEE HEARING

TAKEAWAYS FOR JUNE 23rd

The Lincoln Project released the following takeaways from the fifth January 6th Committee Hearing that took place June 23rd:

• After five hearings we know a great deal about Donald Trump’s obsession with maintaining power. He personally tried every avenue available to overturn the election by trying to create political and legal fictions at a scale never before seen. If it were not for patriots standing up to do the right thing in the face of real threats of violence and extreme intimidation, Trump and his cronies may have succeeded in ending democracy.

• This hearing told us about Trump’s unprecedented misuse of power as he tried to manipulate our nation’s law enforcement officials into illegally declaring corruption in the election. Working with Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, Trump wanted to sow disinformation and doubt on the integrity of the process. All to provide a fake legal cover for their scheme to steal the election with false electors and an insurrection at the capitol.

• As we saw in the last hearing, the relentless effort to pressure election officials went well beyond peaceful protests. Threats of violence combined with openly displayed weapons and the targeting of spouses and children were all used by Donald Trump and his supporters. These are not the nonviolent tactics of the civil rights movement, but a precursor to the types of violence we all witnessed on January 6th.

• The GOP is working to replace the patriots who saved the nation with MAGA supporters who will take whatever measures are necessary to obtain power – even illegitimately. Trump put in motion a campaign to pressure every level of government to overturn the election that persists to this day. The MAGA GOP is teaching its supporters to challenge election results in critical precincts, or just flat out refuse certifying election results they do not like. The party only wants to make a free and open election impossible going forward.

• Where are Trump’s GOP defenders on television? We know Trump is unhappy with Kevin McCarthy’s handling of the committee. Will McCarthy’s refusal to fight on Trump’s behalf be the final nail in his chance to be Speaker? Will Elise Stefank continue to be missing in action, or is she power hungry enough to ignore the evidence that Trump tried to overturn the election? Will Stefanik prioritize loyalty to Trump over being a loyal American in order to elevate her career?

• Republican candidates cannot be allowed to simply walk away from Donald Trump. They fought for his endorsement and now they must own him. Mehmet Oz doesn’t get to just scrub Trump off his homepage; he must declare if he thinks Trump committed crimes in trying to overturn the election. 

• People only ask for pardons if they think they’ve committed a crime. The guilt oozes from Andy Biggs, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mo Brooks, Matt Gaetz, Louie Gohmert, Paul Gosar, Jim Jordan and Scott Perry. Their constituents deserve to know why they needed get-out-of-jail-free cards. 

• Sadly, the right wing ecosystem is filled with wild conspiracies, hateful political aims and radical organizations that have taken over the Republican Party. The lunatic fringe is firmly in control. 

• We continue to warn all Americans that true MAGA believers will not see the hearings as any sort of revelation. It will only cause them to double and triple down on the Big Lie – making them more dangerous and perhaps more violent. Every single American must choose if they are the side of the seditionists who tried to tear down a free and fair election, or do they support our Republic and its democratic principles?

The Lincoln Project is a leading pro-democracy organization in the United States — dedicated to the preservation, protection, and defense of democracy.

To learn more about The Lincoln Project, go to lincolnproject.us.

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