The Jan. 6 committee's expected last summertime hearing is tonight, and we thought we'd round up our coverage to catch you up before it starts. Find out below how to follow along starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Jan. 6 hearings, season 1 comes to a close
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The Jan. 6 committee convenes in prime time Thursday night for what it says is its last, at least for now, hearing this summer. It will focus on what former President Trump was doing -- and not doing -- while the Capitol was under attack.
Expect to hear from two former Trump White House officials – former National Security Council member Matthew Pottinger and Sarah Matthews, a former deputy press secretary. Both resigned shortly after Jan. 6.
Matthews has been seen in video depositions at previous committee hearings discussing what she and others saw on the eve of Jan. 6, including Trump dictating a tweet, and relaying a conversation with Trump on how to get “RINOS” – or “Republicans in Name Only” – to “do the right thing.”
An NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll ahead of the hearing found that almost 6 in 10 respondents were paying at least some attention to the hearings, though Democrats are doing so far more than Republicans (80-44%).
There are few signs from the survey that the hearings have changed most people’s feelings about Jan. 6 or how they feel about the former president. More independents do now describe what happened that day as an insurrection and threat to democracy (52%, up from 43% in December), but Republicans haven’t budged, with only 1 in 10 describing it that way.
Jan. 6 just isn’t breaking through as a motivating voting issue, either. Overwhelmingly, independents and Republicans see inflation as their top issue, while for Democrats it’s abortion rights.
Most respondents do blame Trump for what happened on Jan. 6 (57%), and half think he should be charged with a crime, but 6 in 10 don’t think he will. Trump also continues to be not well-liked (58% have an unfavorable opinion of him), meaning if he follows through with a run for the White House again in 2024, the country would likely be in for another drama-filled and vitriolic election.
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Steve Bannon on trial: Trump’s former chief strategist was indicted on two contempt-of-Congress charges after he defied a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee. He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, Bannon faces a minimum sentence of 30 days and a maximum of one year in prison for each count. Read the latest about the trial, which began Monday.
Defending Trump isn't a GOP priority: Republican leaders boycotted the hearings, so unlike Trump's televised impeachment trials, viewers haven't seen a vigorous defense of his actions from the dais. And there's not much of a broader outside defense of Trump, either.
Voters don’t see Jan. 6 hearings as their top issue: They’ve been watching the hearings, but voters are more concerned with inflation, according to Democrats in competitive races who are trying to gauge how the proceedings will affect November's midterms.
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