June 10, 2022 GMT https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-congress-government-and-politics-8814bc945be4ac4efde25dfe9e719278 In launching her case to the American public, the House committee that investigated the January 6 uprising made a central argument: Watch the tape. The focus of Thursday night’s hearing was a video of the Capitol attack. For more than 10 minutes, he went from point to point, showing rioters crashing and beating police as the mob stormed the building to stop certifying Donald Trump’s election defeat. The video had a strong impact inside the auditorium and among Democrats. The police officers in the audience comforted each other as they experienced the violence again. U.S. Capitol Officer Harry Dunn cried during the video as rioters beat his colleagues with flagpoles and baseball bats. New York spokeswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted a photo on Instagram of her television with images from the uprising. “There has been (and continues to be) an extensive GOP campaign to downplay the scale of this attack,” he wrote in a caption. “We were trapped on campus with no way out,” he added. “This is what a terrorist attack in the United States looks like.” Meanwhile, many Republicans downgraded the new video or did not watch it at all. Unlike other networks, Fox News did not broadcast the committee hearing and devoted hours to hosts and guests who defamed it. “This is not a legislative hearing, this is a production,” said Taylor Budovic, a spokesman for Trump. Here are some of the highlights from the committee video. THE PROUD CHILDREN Three months after Trump said they should “stand back and stand by,” the Proud Boys had many members stationed in Washington. The commission’s video shows members of the far-right extremist group gathering at the National Mall hours before Trump’s speech urging his supporters to “fight like hell.” By the time Trump spoke near the White House, members of the Proud Boys had already reached the Capitol several blocks away. The former top leader of the group is now accused of insurgent conspiracy, as are other members. Federal prosecutors claim they carried out a coordinated attack on the Capitol. Excerpts from a video reconstruction of the attack on the Capitol that was shown at the hearing of the Parliamentary committee. THE VIOLATION By 1 p.m., as President Nancy Pelosi began certifying ballots, rioters had already violated police lines east of the Capitol. A riot was declared at 1:50 p.m. and lawmakers were soon moved to safety. A new video released Thursday shows people running into the office of Republican House of Representatives leader Kevin McCarthy. Excerpts from a video reconstruction of the attack on the Capitol that was shown at the hearing of the Parliamentary committee. THE POLICE The sub-commanding officers fought the attackers who came with guns and bear spray. The body cameras and security plans of the police recorded a large part of the clash. Why the National Guard was not already there and why it took so long for the members of the Guard to arrive are questions that remain controversial among key figures. The U.S. Capitol Police Chief claimed that day that the House and Senate sergeants were late in responding to his appeals, which these officials denied. The Pentagon said it did not have full forces ready and needed several hours to develop. The commander and the two sergeants of the armies resigned after the attack. Excerpts from a video reconstruction of the attack on the Capitol that was shown at the hearing of the Parliamentary committee.
