Texas Republicans criticize, tune out prime-time hearing on Jan. 6 insurrection

Dramatic new footage, startling revelations and graphic testimony made Thursday night’s opening salvo from the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection must-see-TV for many Americans. But the prime-time presentation that aired live on most networks was not priority viewing for Texas Republicans in Congress, who either bashed the committee’s work or ignored it entirely in favor of unrelated issues. “Americans are still waiting for the primetime hearing on record inflation,” Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Irving, tweeted Friday. Sen. Ted Cruz made clear well before the chairman’s gavel fell that he would rather watch paint dry than listen to what he characterized as a “kangaroo court” intended to distract from economic challenges such as rising inflation. “It’s politics, but I don’t think it’s going to be very effective politics,” said Cruz who pushed objections to certifying the 2020 results from key states. Sen. John Cornyn, who has been focused on bipartisan gun talks this week, had not commented on the hearing by Friday evening.

Republicans who tuned out missed plenty, including videos of Donald Trump’s own Attorney General Bill Barr recounting how he told Trump that talk of a rigged election was “bullshit” and Trump’s daughter Ivanka saying she respected Barr’s assessment that there was no major election fraud. Committee vice chairwoman Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., shared an account of Trump being told Capitol attackers were chanting to hang Vice President Mike Pence for not overturning the election results. Trump responded that maybe the rioters had it right and Pence “deserves it,” according to Cheney. A documentary filmmaker testified about the role played by far-right groups the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers in fueling the violence. U.S. Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards provided live testimony about how she slipped in other people’s blood amid the “carnage” and “chaos” that left scores of officers injured. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, tweeted Friday those officers stepped up to protect democracy in the “face of unspeakable violence” that day. “What they did was nothing short of heroic,” Allred wrote. “I thank Ms. Edwards for her bravery & I’m grateful to the officers who put their lives on the line.”