Durbin: Jan. 6 hearings are necessary, even if they won't change anything

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin on Friday responded to the U.S. House of Representatives first public hearing on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Having been in the Senate that day, he was quick to remind people of what happened.

"To dismiss it as a group of unruly tourists is unfair," said Durbin. "Five people died. One hundred fifty members of law enforcement were injured."

He added that the need for such an investigation is important because it offers a chance to learn more about what happened.

"What happened? What led up to it? What planning was involved? Were there any conspiracies? Were any groups behind it?," said Durbin. "These are all legitimate questions, not just for criminal prosecution, but for history."

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Durbin saluted the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, the group overseeing the investigation into the insurrection on Jan. 6. In particular, he commended its two Republican members: Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger.

"I don't know if it will change anything, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it," said Durbin. "There ought to be a record."

Though there are two Republicans on the nine-member committee, it has been accused of being a partisan attack from Democrats. A bipartisan commission to investigate the attack, in the style of the 9/11 Commission, was proposed but it failed to receive enough Republican support in the Senate to move forward.

The committee's hearing, held Thursday evening and broadcast on almost all of the major television networks, revealed a seven-point outline of the committee's plan to show that Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election.

"President Trump summoned the mob, assembled the mob and lit the flame of this attack," said Cheney, who is the vice chair of the committee.

During the hearing, the committee played video of the Capitol attack as well suggested that multiple House Republicans sought presidential pardons from Trump for their role and revealed depositions featuring former Attorney General Bill Barr, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and former Trump campaign aide Jason Miller.

The committee is scheduled to hold more hearings at 10 a.m. Monday, 10 a.m. Wednesday and 1 p.m. Thursday.

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Durbin was in town to promote a proposal to cap insulin costs at $35 per month for patients with diabetes. A similar measure passed in the House of Representatives in March.

The Senate proposal is being spearheaded by Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia.

Durbin said he is optimistic the proposal will move forward and he expects some bipartisan support.

"It's within reach," he said.

Contact Andrew Adams: aadams1@gannett.com; (312)-291-1417; twitter.com/drewjayadams.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Durbin: Jan. 6 hearings are needed, even if they won't change anything