Opinion: It will take a bipartisan effort to undo the damage of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol; everyone should watch the hearings
Editor's note: Democrat David Obey and Republican Thomas Petri had a combined 78 years of experience representing Wisconsin in the House of Representatives before retiring.
Each of us was honored to represent Wisconsin in the United States House of Representatives. The privilege of serving in Congress allowed us a unique perch from which to observe historic moments — both good and bad — for portions of five different decades.
What we observed come to a head on January 6, 2021, was something we had never seen before and hope no American ever sees again; an effort directed by the sitting president, residing in the White House, to overturn the lawfully certified vote of the American people in the 2020 presidential election. An effort which, among other things, involved assembling a mob in Washington, D.C., and stirring them up to attack the Capitol as our Congress was receiving the results of the presidential election as certified by the governments of our 50 states.
This was no mere protest that got out of hand. Nor was it an accident. It was an attack on our Republic. The attack itself was only the most visible manifestation of what appears to be a coordinated, strategic, criminal conspiracy to maintain political power outside the bounds of American tradition and law.
‘Appears to be’ because, quite simply, we do not yet have all the facts or understand with full context those that we do have. Which is exactly why the work of the bipartisan select committee charged with investigating January 6 is so important. Thursday night, in prime time, the American people will begin to see the results of an exhaustive, impartial, bipartisan investigation.
Every freedom-loving American — Republican, Democrat, Independent or otherwise — should pay attention to what this committee has found and will reveal to the world in six public hearings over the next 12 days.
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MORE: Background on former Rep. David Obey
We already know that the plot to subvert the 2020 presidential election was spelled out in memos and PowerPoint presentations. We already know that multiple states took the extraordinary step of submitting alternate electors for the losing candidate even after their state vote counts were certified. We already know that the faction of Trump allies engaged in the plot have tried to suppress evidence — including text messages and other communications — of their plot and obstruct the work of the committee.
What we do not yet know is just how widely understood this plan to overturn the election was. That information is critical to ensuring accountability, an essential requirement for making sure that no losing president ever again plots to overturn the will of the people in a presidential election.
The short-term costs of the machinations that erupted in full view of the world on January 6 are evident: Loss of life. Desecration of the Capitol. Trauma for the brave Capitol Police and law enforcement officers charged with holding off the attack. And horrific images seen around the world that have diminished our capacity to influence global affairs.
Undoing that damage requires accountability — which is impossible without greater knowledge and a fuller understanding of the plot. It also requires restoration of the public trust born by transparency and a return to one of the most basic principles of the American experiment.
In the United States of America no one is above the law. Not members of Congress. Not even American presidents.
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Those willing to undermine our democracy for their own political gain — and any who made the choice to do just that — must be revealed for what they are, threats to the ideals of self-determination and liberty that have defined this nation and lit the world for nearly 250 years.
The House Select Committee charged with investigating this chapter of our history have been asked to do a thankless job, fraught with risk, both to their physical safety and political futures. For the good of the country, these Republicans and Democrats have borne that risk to bring us the truth.
They honor us all through that service. Let us honor them in turn by engaging with their findings, seeing the truth without the taint of partisan lenses, and doing all that we can to stop the potential for sabotage of future elections before it happens.
We’ll be watching. We hope you will too.
David R. Obey, a Democrat, represented Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1969 to 2011. Thomas E. Petri, a Republican, represented Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979 to 2015.
How to watch
The first hearing will be at 7 p.m. Thursday. USA Today will live-stream the hearing. Major news networks such as CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NBC and ABC News will air it, along with C-SPAN. Fox News will not.