Most Republicans, especially those who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, have long suspected that something was rotten in Denmark about the whole subsequent "investigation." From video footage of Capitol Hill Police appearing to let Trump supporters inside the Capitol building to questions raised about whether there were FBI informants in the crowd, the feeling of skeptics throughout the investigation was that the Jan. 6 Committee was only presenting one side of what happened that day. Now, thanks to an unlikely source, some of the people responsible for bringing us the Jan. 6 hearings in prime time have given up the secret.
In a remarkable PBS documentary, the January 6th committee admits the entire thing was a publicity stunt / fabricated TV production meant to manipulate the audience. Which is why they brought in the former president of ABC News [James Goldston]
— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) January 31, 2024
"It was Goldston who envisioned… pic.twitter.com/R4oboenAnQ
A documentary from the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) appears to tell the story of, well, telling a story. In it, former Rep. Adam Kinzinger alludes to the fact that there is a "story" to tell. He states that,
"The one thing that we knew, the information that we have is compelling. the thing we needed to do was tell that to the American people in a compelling way. So that's why we brought in the former President of ABC News."
So, from the beginning, did this committee think its job was to tell a story? It gets better. Next is the former President of ABC News himself, James Goldston, who gives up the whole plan, and it seems like he really doesn't realize what he is saying.
"Yeah I pretty much got a call out of the blue, from the January 6 Committee. They wanted a storyteller. And while they were brilliant, they were brilliant lawyers, storytelling for a mass audience is not what they do.
It is then that an unidentified man, perhaps part of the narration team, actually says that Goldston "envisioned" a mini-series, nothing but entertainment. Images of the dramatic graphics put together by mainstream media outlets as they televised the hearings were ostensibly part and parcel of the story. Tim Mulvey, who was the Communications Director for the Jan. 6 Committee, talked of how fast his heart was beating just before the beginning of the first televised hearing because "It was a real question of, is this going to work or not." Whether or not what was going to work? Producing a story with cherry-picked information that you thought you could sell to the American people? Goldston tells of how he was in a small, dark control room, just waiting for the camera to roll and the story to begin. Mulvey digs the hole further and adds, "We wanted to make sure that this was a presentation that would grab the audience and hold onto them. Chairman Thompson loved to say, 'It's gotta pop.'"
Looking forward to Jan 6: The Musical https://t.co/of4DiPpdzi
— Vince Coglianese (@VinceCoglianese) February 1, 2024
So, what parts of what may have happened did not make it into the "must-see TV" episodes produced by the Jan. 6 Committee? Many of the people who were at the Capitol that day claimed they were let in by Capitol Police. One of those was Jacob Chansley, who came to be known as the "Q'Anon Shaman." Video of Chansley being escorted around the Capitol Building was given to then-Fox News Channel Host Tucker Carlson, who received it from then-House Speaker McCarthy. It is unclear if police did, in fact, let people in the building or how many, but they clearly could be seen escorting Chansley through the building.
RedState has covered the Capitol riot and the aftermath of some proven untruths extensively. In July of 2021, my colleague Bonchie reported that on the first day of the hearings, Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) claimed that seven people were killed on Jan. 6. Only Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed that day by a Capitol Police Officer. (Kevin Greeson and Benjamin Phillips died of natural causes that day, and Roseanne Boyland of amphetamine intoxication or being struck by police, depending on who you talk to.) It was also claimed that Jan. 6 was the worst attack on the Capitol since 1812. Guess they "forgot" about the five Congressmen shot by terrorists (with one seriously injured) on the floor from the visitor's area in 1954. RedState's own Jeff Charles reported in April of 2023 that a motion filed by an attorney for members of the Proud Boys seemed to confirm that not only were there many confidential human sources (CHS) and other plain-clothes members of other law enforcement agencies in the crowd but that some of those were undercover Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers who had infiltrated the Proud Boys and appeared to be egging on the crowd with chants of "Stop the Steal!" and "Whose House? Our House!"
Those involved obviously feel that enough time has passed that they can divulge the true nature of the Jan. 6 Committee hearings. It doesn't appear that getting to the truth was the goal. It was just about giving people more "reality" TV.
Pelosi Claimed She 'Begged' for National Guard Help on Jan. 6
— Randy DeSoto (@RandyDeSoto) January 26, 2024
She's apparently telling a half-truth, leaving out the decisions made in the days leading up to Jan. 6.
No wonder she didn't want @Jim_Jordan and @RepJimBanks on the Jan. 6 Committee. https://t.co/AhX4Uo3rIY
Editor's Note: A previous version of this article indicated that five Congressmen were killed in the 1954 attack at the Capitol. It has been revised to reflect that they were shot, with one seriously injured. We apologize for the error.
