The American people are about to hear what really happened on 6 January 2021

It’s the moment political junkies have been waiting for.

On Thursday evening, the House select committee investigating the 6 January attack on the US Capitol will hold a blockbuster hearing, presenting its case to the American public in prime time.

The Independent will be all-hands-on-deck – with reporters in the hearing room and roaming the halls of Congress to get real-time reactions from lawmakers.

The hearing promises to present potentially explosive new information. It will “highlight the role played by the pro-Trump extremist groups in starting and escalating the violence during the worst attack on the Capitol since 1814,” our reporters have noted.

The committee has hired a veteran television news executive to help produce the hearings, which will rely on video evidence as well as witness testimony.

In the 18 months since the Capitol riot on 6 January 2021, there has been a steady drip of new information revealing how Donald Trump’s inner circle responded to the violence unfolding in real time. Text messages have been revealed and countless Trump administration officials and allies have been subpoenaed.

But like many sprawling scandals whose details emerge bit by bit, casual news consumers may risk losing sight of the larger picture – that there was a coordinated effort to deny the will of the American people and overturn a legitimate election to keep Trump in power. That’s where the public hearings can play a key role.

For two hours on Thursday, the committee has an opportunity to present a compelling narrative to the American people, explaining exactly what happened, who was responsible, and why it’s important. And at a time when most Americans are in their homes and available to watch the proceedings live.

It remains to be seen how effectively the hearings can break through in a hyper-polarised political climate in the US. Fox News, consistently the highest-rated cable news network, has opted to not even broadcast the proceedings live during Tucker Carlson’s 8pm show. Its sister network, Fox Business, will cover the hearings, and they will be streamed live without authentication on the network’s digital properties.

But it’s a key moment in the fight to preserve American democracy. We’ll be giving it our all to cover each detail of the story. We hope you’ll join us.

Yours,

David Taintor

Deputy US editor