RALEIGH, N.C. – The first public hearing on the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, will be broadcast live tonight at 8 p.m. The following is a statement from the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina on the significance of the public hearings:
“The attack on the U.S. Capitol was nothing short of an attempted coup incited and potentially directed by Donald Trump and fueled by white supremacy and anti-democratic misinformation. Fortunately, this violent insurrection failed to silence the voices of millions of voters, including record numbers of Black and Brown voters who cast decisive ballots in the 2020 election. The House committee’s public hearings are critical and should provide a full account of what we already know to be one of the most serious assaults on our democracy.
“We must not view the insurrection as a solitary moment in time—it is an ongoing threat that may pose an even greater threat to our democracy in 2024. Its legacy lives on with every bill that undermines our civil rights and liberties, and the rise of hate speech and hate crimes across our country.
“The horrendous attack in Buffalo is a stark and sobering reminder that white supremacist violence is ever-present and will corrupt our democratic process if we do not act. The January 6 hearings offer us an opportunity to come together in shared truth and purpose to protect our democracy's future by holding accountable elected officials who betrayed our country and stripping them of their ability to threaten our democracy again. Watch these hearings like our democracy is at stake, because it is.”
Note: You can watch the hearings live on major broadcast networks or via this link. The first hearing will start Thursday, June 9, at 8 p.m. The second hearing will be held on Monday, June 13, at 10 a.m. There is also a hearing on Wednesday, June 15 at 10 a.m. There be as many as eight hearings through June, with a final hearing in September.
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