All eyes on America and January 6 hearings

The public hearings into the January 6 (2021) attack on the US Congress started two Thursdays ago on June 9, 2022. Since then, there have been two other sittings and Day 3 was Thursday, June 2022. The hearings are being coordinated by a bipartisan congressional committee (comprising Democrats and Republicans) which has been gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses for over 11 months. If there’s anyone who hasn’t heard about the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, it’s the violent attempt by an unruly and dangerous mob to stop the certification of President Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 US presidential elections.

This riot/insurrection or sightseeing as some would have us believe has generated a lot of heat. Watching the videos again during the hearings, I still can’t get over the fact that all that barbarism happened in the US, the self-styled ‘greatest country/democracy” on earth. Imagine if the January 6 riots had happened in one of the places former president Donald Trump tagged as shit-hole countries. Many would’ve felt that the mob attack confirmed their worst fears about the so-called third-world countries whose people are supposed to rank lower than some animals.

Well, it’s been with a certain sense of ‘wonderment’ that I have been following the hearings. I’m really very invested. I not only watch the complete daily deliberations on The Washington Post’s Youtube channel, but I also then follow up later in the night by listening to numerous informed commentators break down the day’s proceedings. MSNBC is my station of choice. If you’re wondering why I’m paying so much attention to happenings in the US as far as from Nigeria as possible, first off, I’m not doing Afghanistan-ism which is the practice of ignoring one’s immediate problems while focusing on far away places. Anyway, as far as Nigeria’s problems are concerned, ‘wahala no dey finish,’ as they say. Which is to say Nigeria’s problems are not in any immediate danger of disappearing overnight.

I’m paying this much attention to the January 6 hearings because I’m interested (to the point of impatience) in seeing how America resolves this. Remember they style themselves as the world’s last democracy? My impatience is understandable because in Nigeria, following due process isn’t our strongest suit just because there are no guarantees that certain processes would be sustained. Things are done in a rush but we aren’t getting anywhere fast. So, there are lessons to be learnt from watching the January 6 hearings. It isn’t that American politicians are perfect or don’t also take some decisions to benefit only themselves. However, one of the things I have learnt watching the hearings is that, unlike his Nigerian colleagues, I can see that many US politicians have an eye on history and are concerned about their place in it. It’s the reason that former US attorney-general, William Barr, who looked like he’d bend over backward for Trump, decided at the last minute to quit, and attempt to repair some of his images.

The same thing can be said of former vice-president Mike Pence who for four years seemed to be the perfect ‘yes-man’ as Trump’s deputy. But when push came to shove, he refused to do what Trump wanted despite the enormous pressure and at great risk to himself. One of the revelations from Day 3 is that the FBI has a confession from a member of the Proud Boys militia that they would have killed Pence and Pelosi on the day. I don’t agree with those who insist on calling Pence a coward. Yes, it’s easy to say he should’ve spoken up before January 6, etc, etc. It’s also easy to say he should have resigned. This is similar to the kind of criticism Nigeria’s vice-president Pastor Yemi Osinbajo receives. It should be more important what Pence did when it mattered the most.

Day 3 of the hearings featured testimonies from Pence’s lawyer Greg Jacob and retired Republican judge J. Michael Luttig. Some people say we are not learning anything new. That may be so. Suffice it to say that what we’re learning is much worse than whatever we thought we knew. I still can’t wrap my head around Trump’s propensity for con. The man knew that he’d lost the election but was hellbent on repeating all sorts of lies. Worse still, he started this process before the elections. One of the revelations of Day 2 is: “The big rip-off” through which Trump milked up to $250 million from his followers ostensibly for legal fees but that’s a lie.

The hearings continue next week.