The Jan. 6 Hearing Is A Reminder Of How Extreme The Republican Majority Has Become Says A Party Member.

“Last night we were reminded of how terrible that day was for our country,” said Ramer, who is the political director of the Republican Accountability Project, a Republican-backed political action committee tasked with combating misinformation within the country. party and support for democracy. The committee’s televised hearings began Thursday afternoon. The US House of Representatives panel will try to show how the violence erupted that day and how former President Donald Trump, who failed to win a second term, tried to overturn the election victory of US President Joe Biden. Thursday’s hearing included videos that rioters had never seen before beating police and breaking into the Capitol building. The next hearing is scheduled for Monday, June 13. Ramer spoke with As It Happens guest host Tom Harrington about the first day of the auditions. Here is part of their conversation. The panel shared footage from the uprising it had not seen before. We think we have seen them all, but obviously we have not. How important was it to remind Americans watching the scenes that took place that day? Incredibly important. You know, there are a lot of people who want to move on from Jan. 6, including the Republican leadership. And last night, guess what? It was a reminder that we will not proceed from January 6 until we understand exactly what happened. What did Donald Trump do in 187 minutes that no one knows? Well, we will find out. What moments did it bring you back? As someone who identifies as a registered Republican, identifies as someone who is conservative, I can think of nothing more damaging to the Constitution than trying to undermine a free and fair election. And last night, it reminded me of how I felt that day and how angry I felt with the Republicans who let it all happen. Bennie Thompson, left, chair of the House committee investigating the Capitol Uprising on January 6, 2021, appears April 6 with Liz Cheney, the lone Republican on the panel. (J. Scott Applewhite / The Associated Press) The committee is chaired by Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming. How important do you think its involvement is when it comes to presenting the committee as a bipartisan inquiry? The thing about the Donald Trump referral process is that, you know, Republicans could say it was a partisan witch hunt or whatever. But Liz Cheney is leading the way. It shows what it means to be a conservative Republican who cares more about the Constitution than about appealing to Donald Trump. This is brave, this is courageous. This is something we rarely see in our politics. How closely do you think Republicans or even Republican voters will actually attend these hearings? I think it depends on the type of Republican voter we are talking about. We are talking about the type of MAGA [who] believes that Antifa is responsible for the January 6 uprising? I mean, they were probably watching Tucker [Carlson] or Steve Bannon and I never saw what happened yesterday. I hope all these people – Donald Trump, the people around Donald Trump – will be held accountable. – Gunner Ramer, Political Director of the Republican Accountability Project But there are also Republican types, perhaps the traditional Republicans who close, you know, a “stop stealing, Big Lie” candidate. And, you know, maybe they caught it watching local news last night. And it reminds them of how extreme the Republican majority has become. And all the candidates for the post across the country – not all of them may have Trump approval, but almost all of them have supported Donald Trump and the America First MAGA program. Among the revelations that caught my eye last night, I thought, was the suggestion that several Republican lawmakers, including Scott Perry, who was nominated, had asked for the presidency after their Jan. 6 election. What kind of accountability do you want? I hope all these people are accountable. And I also hope that the leadership of Republicans who tried to uncover everything that happened on January 6 feel deeply ashamed of how they responded after January 6. I mean, people like Kevin McCarthy were in Mar-a-Lago just about two weeks after they said that the president has some responsibility for January 6 in Parliament. So I hope all these people – Donald Trump, the people around Donald Trump – will be held accountable. Q&A has been condensed for scope and clarity. Written by Olsy Sorokina with archives from CBC News. Interview with Gunner Ramer produced by Morgan Passi.