Editorial: An invaluable service

During the course of seven often jarring and revelatory hearings, the select congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has done a service to this nation, illuminating the details about what happened leading up to that awful day.

On Thursday night, the committee is expected to present a detailed account of what former President Donald Trump did before, during and after the attack. U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria, a Democrat who represents Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, will lead the proceedings, making this must-see television for the commonwealth — Republicans and Democrats alike.

Before Jan. 6, 2021, an armed mob had never invaded the seat of federal government to stop the peaceful transition of power. Their efforts were thwarted — the certification of the 2020 election proceeded that night and President Joe Biden was inaugurated two weeks later — but the attack remains an indelible stain on this nation.

The public needs to know the facts surrounding the attempted insurrection and hold those responsible to account for their actions. That includes the people who entered the building that day but also those who orchestrated the attack and stoked the violence that resulted in four deaths and injuries to more than 140 law enforcement officers.

Regrettably, evidence now strongly suggests that includes the former president. And it is regrettable, since no patriotic American wants to believe it possible for the commander in chief to deliberately instigate violence against the legislative branch.

Thursday’s hearing is expected to focus on that very subject. It will be led by Luria, a two-term representative who faces a tricky reelection bid in one of the most closely watched House races this year.

Luria’s service on this committee will be prominent in that campaign. She announced her reelection bid on Jan. 6 of this year, pledging to “uphold my oath to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.’” And leading Thursday’s prime-time hearing will command nationwide attention, bringing even more attention to the 2nd District race.

In contrast, her opponent, state Sen. Jen Kiggans, was one of only four state senators who backed a farcical proposal by Trump acolyte Sen. Amanda Chase to spend $70 million in taxpayer funds on “full forensic audit” of the 2020 election results in Virginia. That was a vote to perpetuate the former president’s disproven claims that widespread voter fraud elevated Biden to the White House.

Some Republicans and many Trump supporters have called the Jan. 6 hearings a distraction, a ruse or a Soviet show trial. The last is especially laughable since it’s the former president’s inner circle — from his former attorney general, to the White House counsel, to members of his family and some of his closest friends — who have willingly testified and linked him to the most egregious plots.

These include Cassidy Hutchinson, a Christopher Newport University graduate who served as a top aide for White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who testified on June 28.

She and others have provided critical evidence that Trump knew he lost the election, that his claims of fraud were bogus, that he persisted in those claims to subvert the will of the American electorate, and that his persistence manifested and directly encouraged, if not orchestrated the most seditious aspects of, the Capitol attack.

On Thursday, two more prominent presidential aides — Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger, who served in the administration for four years, and Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews — are expected to testify about the former president’s actions the day of the attack.

And while Luria surely wishes her time in office would be spent focused on policymaking, her work this week and throughout her time on the committee has been an invaluable service to this nation and to the cause of justice.

Thursday’s hearing, which will begin at 8 p.m., can be seen on most major news networks. All the hearings, including Thursday’s, can be streamed on the C-SPAN website, c-span.org.