Jan. 6 committee hearings reveal Trump, allies abandoned oaths  

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The January 6 Select Committee has held a series of public hearings in recent weeks to lay out its findings of the investigation into the attack on the U.S. Capitol and the months-long criminal conspiracy leading up to it.   

The hearings have skillfully demonstrated what we know to be true: Trump and his allies abandoned their oaths and attempted to overthrow the will of the people in a scheme they knew was illegal and unconstitutional. 

The conspiracy culminated in a violent attack that left over 100 police officers injured, many beaten and bloodied. So far, those actually responsible have avoided serious consequences. Trump and his co-conspirators in the White House and Congress have, until the hearings, completely escaped any accountability. As a former prosecutor who worked closely with law enforcement officers, the violence at the Capitol was difficult to watch. 

But even before the attack, these hearings have shown, Trump pressured the DOJ to legitimize his lies and conspiracy theories about the election. After the DOJ told him his claims were baseless, he wanted to install Jeffrey Clark as attorney general solely because Clark was committed to helping him in his plot.  

As a former county attorney who swore an oath to uphold the United States Constitution and fight for its citizens, it is important for me to impress how unprecedented, how egregious, and how fundamentally illegal and wrong this was. Trump tried to manipulate, pressure, and browbeat his subordinates into breaking the law for his own personal gain. And he had help from members of Congress and staff in his White House. 

Thankfully, other DOJ officials knew that Trump’s pressure scheme was unconstitutional. Senior department officials threatened to resign rather than serve under an election denier like Clark. 

The current Justice Department has expanded its probe into the events of January 6, issuing subpoenas in multiple states, including Arizona. And some of the sworn testimony we’ve heard suggests that MAGA Republicans such as Congressmen Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs preemptively asked for pardons for their roles in trying to overturn the election. 

This shows that they knew that their conspiracy was criminal, illegal, and unconstitutional. No matter how you try to spin it, the January 6th Committee has shown that the plot extends well beyond the violence perpetrated on January 6, 2021. State officials were intimidated to overturn the election results. 

In addition, Arizona MAGA legislators have passed laws making it harder for people to vote and created a scheme to appoint bogus electors to overturn the will of the people.  

Getting to the truth during these hearings and then demanding accountability at the courts and the ballot box is how we stop the current MAGA campaign from sabotaging future elections. Right now, MAGA Republicans plan to change state laws, threaten state officials and pack election administration offices so that they can have the final say over election results – even when they lose. 

I hope Arizonans will continue to tune into the hearings to hear more of the truth. And then do what is necessary to make sure that our Constitution and our republic are protected from attacks in the future. 

James Walsh was the Pinal County attorney from 2007 to 2012.