I am a centrist conservative and support our Constitution as written. I am also a fan of Bari and Common Sense is one of the few media sources I spend my limited time reading. I am not, and have never been, a fan of Donald Trump. He is a petty, bombastic, crude, self-aggrandizing buffoon. He also did some incredible things against huge odds during his administration that I fully supported. I voted for him out of resignation and dismay that we could not provide better candidates, in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. Many like me are not convinced that the 2020 election was the "most secure ever", and the recent documentary, 2000 Mules, presented a heretofore unrecognized manner in which the election might have been subverted, and possibly produced a fraudulent outcome. This needs to be further investigated. I hope Trump does not run again. He had his day and I cannot stand the thought of another four years of unhinged anti-Trump rage. Biden is the worst president in my lifetime.
That said, I have not watched the Jan. 6 hearings. To be candid, I do not have the time and my past efforts at watching such things has been a futile exercise. All are largely theater intended to obtain or justify a particular political or ideological position and politicians are unable to avoid pontificating when they have a soapbox. I am astounded by this article. Ungar-Sargon admits that the hearing is blatantly partisan yet accepts the testimony at face value. We have countless examples of government functionaries lying under oath during the Russian collusion hoax to de-throne Trump and I would vouchsafe that never in American history has there been such a determined, no-holds-barred effort to delegitimize a duly-elected American president as occurred during Trumps presidency. My view of the videos of the Capital on Jan. 6 was of an unruly, disorganized protest gone bad and I feel this has been typically overblown by the left into some sort of top down attempt at an insurrection. It is much along the lines of "most peaceful protests" during the BLM riots. Are we to believe the progressive narrative and testimony of the left or our lying eyes?
I hope to see a reasoned, civil rebuttal of this terrible article.
A comical, Stalinesque show trial trots out a bunch of pearl clutching hysterical people who offer third hand hearsay and pop psychology garbage, all managed by the people who gave us a running, 4 year coup attempt and you offer up this pathetic garbage. Shame on you, Bari.
Trump is fading into the twilight on his own. The Democrats are destroying our nation as Americans suffer needlessly from their ineptitude and dogmatic refusal to recognize reality. We do not need to feed their lies and frenzy. Please remove this crap and get back to what you're best at - offering facts to be considered and debated by patriotic American adults.
Just as I can think that abortion is simultaniously an evil act and that it should be legal....I can also hold other seemingly conflicting opinions.
1. Was Jan 6th an insurrection? No. It was a mob that was allowed to get out of control. Were there professional adjitators involved? Probably. Were there FBI agents in the crowd, some perhaps egging them on? Very likely. Did Trump fail to do all he could to rein it in? I think he could have done more but I do not think he intentionally set it in motion.
2. Do I believe Trump lost the election? Yes. Do I believe that there were games played in key states to assure that happened? Very likely and I think the odds were stacked against him by the media and social media and various localities. If all that changed, would he have won? Not likely but maybe.
Also....I take a lot of what comes out in these hearings with a big grain of salt.
1. They were clearly set up to be a political hit job. That there were no republicans on the that were not hand picked by Pelosi did it for me. That fact alone made the whole thing not worth paying attention to.
2. I would have had a lot more faith in the election had the democrats not fought so hard to avoid any investigations into irregularities. There WERE irregularities. Had the democrats and the media decided to do real investigations into them, regardless of where they lead, I would have more faith in the outcome. But instead, they just dismissed legitimate concerns out of hand and rushed ahead. Which then makes me suspicious of what they are hiding. What do they know or suspect that they are afraid of transparency?
3. I take the witnesses with a grain of salt too. Largely hand picked and coached by a committee and its staff that had an outcome in mind when they started. Its like hearing only the prosecution in a criminal case and knowing that the prosecution cherry picked the witnesses and told them what to say. I also suspect that some of these former staff members that are testifying against Trump have an agenda, that being to rehabilitate their social circles and job opportunities. So, again, I take that them with a big grain of salt.
Now, did I agree with Trump's policies? Yes I did. He proved right on a lot of things from NATO to China to dealing with COVID in a rational way. He got NAFTA fixed. He was right about the Europeans being dependent on Russia for their energy. He was right on the border. He got a lot right by running counter to the DC narrative. WHICH....is why he got elected in the first place.
DO I think he should be re-elected? No. He is too vindictive a personality to be allowed back in. Plus, he would be term limited the day he took the oath. Then, it would really incite violence and even deeper polarization. No. My pick would be DeSantis, Trump policies without Trump.
I was impressed with her testimony, but there may be a problem. In the western edition of the ABC news cast, there was breaking news that the Secret Service is demanding time to come before the committee to testify. Apparently, they will testify that Trump did not lunge at the agents in the car when they refused to take him to the capitol. Here is the link to the broadcast. The relevant reporting starts at about the 13:45 mark.
I am a former prosecutor and public defender. If the SS agents do testify as indicated, and then also testify that they did not say what she says they said, her testimony may be rendered worthless. I still don't know why they rushed this testimony, but it may be that they did before having checked her story with the agents involved. If that is the case, this could be a serious blunder. I hate to think of what Hutchinson's life will be like, and what damage this could do to the committee if the agents contradict her. The Trumpers will be screaming that she be indicted for lying to Congress. Her testimony in this regard was hearsay anyway and should have been avoided if it had not been verified by the agents involved.
This is not at all a fair representation of what has gone on. Sorry but you have been hoodwinked. Your initial thoughts were correct but some how you fell for the production. Not to mention he was already impeached over this crap and this is a politically motivated sideshow. I have lot of respect for you But this is a total misreading of the situation.
An interesting article. I haven’t watched the hearings but would be happy if the outcome was to prevent Trump from running again. Republicans will have several excellent candidates who will carry on Trump’s policies without Trump’s personal baggage..
As a lawyer, the article demonstrates to me the greatest flaw of the process which is the absence of any meaningful questioning of what was presented. Republicans on the committee were selected by Pelosi in defiance of convention, rather than McCarthy. I view the hearings as a stage show, some of which may be true and some not. The author relies for her conclusion in part on yesterday’s testimony by Ms. Hutchinson. That testimony has already been debunked in part, and maybe in whole, by several sources, including NBC and CNN. The ability for Republicans to cross examine witnesses and present other facts might have produced a very different, and more credible, story for the American people. Unfortunately, we will never know.
I usually love the articles on this site and the unique and differing perspectives offered, but this one right here is just a waste of words and adds no value to the conversation.
First off, Cassie Hutchinson has provided 4 recorded depositions. Here "explosive" testimony was not some last minute bombshell. It was all a ploy to drive up floundering ratings by a desperate Democratic Party and their communication wing - the main stream media. What's more, the Secret Service has given recorded statements that haven't been played, and Engel, the head of Trump's security team, and the limousine driver are saying they'll directly testify that he never grabbed the wheel or assaulted them. She's a scorned ex-aide who wasn't retained by Trump post-WH. I'd take her testimony with a grain of salt especially since not one Congressperson is on the committee to cross examine her.
We already knew Trump pressured state election officials, Mike Pence, and the GOP writ large to "stop the steal." We knew his rhetoric was inflammatory, undemocratic, and unAmerican, and we already knew that the institutions held because the election was certified 3 hours after the rioters entered the Capitol building and he's no longer the President. We knew Trump had an ugly and immoral disdain for Mike Pence especially when the rioters started chanting to hang him.
We knew Trump knew or should've known that his allegations we're baseless. He lost every court cases in which he challenged the results. Does knowing that those closest to him told him so add anything of real value? Does it justify this massive waste or words, time, and taxpayer money? I'd emphatically answer no. And this author is just now learning that Trump was a narcissist and is shocked that he, or any of our politicians, and all about "me, me, me?" Please stop it!
The predetermined verdict of the January 6th committee is that Trump is directly responsible for the riot, yet they haven't connected the dots and they won't. If they could've, it would've been the lead. We're 4 or 5 hearings in and still nothing. It's a carefully crafted kangaroo court to elicit an emotional response to Trump in preparation of the midterms. It's playing politics at the taxpayer expense aided and abetted by a complicit media meant to elicit emotional responses and worthless pieces of commentary like this.
Common Sense? Nah, Nonsense. Who informed the President about the AR-15s; and exactly how did that person know that information? This is critical because reporting by Julie Kelly indicates that no one was armed. I would also question the source of the information because reporting by Revolver News and others suggest that the FBI infiltrated the groups participating in the demonstration. See Ray Epps. Ms. Batya is an astute observer and her wrenching "realization" about J6 is genuine, but is she being snookered by the spectacle of the hearing - and such performers as Raskin, Schiff, and Cheney - without asking herself was the President right? Maybe, just maybe, the President had had enough of impeachment, collusion, resistance, and the deep state. Subsequent information indicates a lot of chicanery about the election, not least Zuckbucks, 2000 Mules, the Feb 2021 Time report by Molly Ball, and the reporting of Julie Kelly. take a very deep breath Ms. Batya. the final chapter to these hearings is yet to be written.
I think you’re an amazing woman whose opinion I greatly respect. I agree that there are things I’ve learned about Trump from direct testimony of these witnesses that I did not know and I do not think Trump is fit for office. At the same time I am so offended by the one-sided, holier-than-thou nature of the committee members. A few of whom voted to overturn the results of the 2016 election! What the heck? I also don’t know what to make of the security detail that day who are willing to testify that Trump didn’t want to go to the Capitol. The whole hearing would have meant so much more if it weren’t so one-sided. Every time I tune in I can’t help but think wouldn’t it be great id we had another committee spectacle event like this one with slick editing and the reveal of taped testimonials of Sudan Rice and Obama and Comey and Clapper etc who set Trump up with the Christopher Steele dossier and on and on. I’d love to see an enactment of the behind the scenes conversations and planning that went into that insurrection!!! It’s all terrible.
I have not watched the hearings. They are made-for-TV propaganda and a distraction from the daily horrors created by the current administration. The only evidence I need to support that assertion is Pelosi’s unprecedented refusal to seat Republican-nominated members to the Committee, and abandon the constructive adversarial process that is a hallmark of our legislative and judicial systems.
After five years of being demonized, falsely accused, and thwarted at nearly every turn in his Presidency, I can understand any man’s frustration boiling over into conduct that is nonetheless unacceptable. And for someone as narcissistic as Trump it’s almost predictable.
However, the riot on January 6 still has too many questions unanswered: why was an unarmed woman shot and killed? Why were the Capitol police so unprepared? Why did Nancy Pelosi refuse additional security support? Were there covert government agents in the crowd, and what did they do to incite or stop the attack? Why have those accused of participating been jailed and subjected to abuse in confinement while Antifa members who burned, murdered, plundered multiple cities gone largely unpunished?
I want a President who will be a statesman, an honorable exemplar for the country, a person of temperance, common sense, and integrity. The hearings are going to do nothing to achieve that.
I haven’t watched the hearings and still won’t. I voted for Trump twice knowing that he was a somewhat unfiltered narcissist. I hope he doesn’t run again as he is getting old and his style is stale. From what I’ve read these hearings and the committee are 100% biased so I still have no reason to watch. My only question is will the libs and Dems still want to impeach Trump 20 years after he’s dead.
Just turn on CNN or MSNBC and what is their lead story? Illegals dying in a truck? Ukraine? Primary results in several states? Nope. Some woman overheard some stuff and presented it as fact.
Americans are being hyponotized, brain washed. Idiots.
Amazing how many refuse to see Trump for what he is - a narcissistic bully who tried to bully other republicans to break the law. Do you also believe he won the election? Is your hate of the Democrats keeping you from seeing reality. Most of the evidence is coming from Republicans. It’s sad to watch what Trump has done to the Republican Party.
The January 6 Hearings Changed My Mind
I am a centrist conservative and support our Constitution as written. I am also a fan of Bari and Common Sense is one of the few media sources I spend my limited time reading. I am not, and have never been, a fan of Donald Trump. He is a petty, bombastic, crude, self-aggrandizing buffoon. He also did some incredible things against huge odds during his administration that I fully supported. I voted for him out of resignation and dismay that we could not provide better candidates, in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. Many like me are not convinced that the 2020 election was the "most secure ever", and the recent documentary, 2000 Mules, presented a heretofore unrecognized manner in which the election might have been subverted, and possibly produced a fraudulent outcome. This needs to be further investigated. I hope Trump does not run again. He had his day and I cannot stand the thought of another four years of unhinged anti-Trump rage. Biden is the worst president in my lifetime.
That said, I have not watched the Jan. 6 hearings. To be candid, I do not have the time and my past efforts at watching such things has been a futile exercise. All are largely theater intended to obtain or justify a particular political or ideological position and politicians are unable to avoid pontificating when they have a soapbox. I am astounded by this article. Ungar-Sargon admits that the hearing is blatantly partisan yet accepts the testimony at face value. We have countless examples of government functionaries lying under oath during the Russian collusion hoax to de-throne Trump and I would vouchsafe that never in American history has there been such a determined, no-holds-barred effort to delegitimize a duly-elected American president as occurred during Trumps presidency. My view of the videos of the Capital on Jan. 6 was of an unruly, disorganized protest gone bad and I feel this has been typically overblown by the left into some sort of top down attempt at an insurrection. It is much along the lines of "most peaceful protests" during the BLM riots. Are we to believe the progressive narrative and testimony of the left or our lying eyes?
I hope to see a reasoned, civil rebuttal of this terrible article.
Rick Bosshardt, MD
A comical, Stalinesque show trial trots out a bunch of pearl clutching hysterical people who offer third hand hearsay and pop psychology garbage, all managed by the people who gave us a running, 4 year coup attempt and you offer up this pathetic garbage. Shame on you, Bari.
Trump is fading into the twilight on his own. The Democrats are destroying our nation as Americans suffer needlessly from their ineptitude and dogmatic refusal to recognize reality. We do not need to feed their lies and frenzy. Please remove this crap and get back to what you're best at - offering facts to be considered and debated by patriotic American adults.
Acknowledge how troublesome it is to not have representation or cross examination then just believe everything you hear. Wow.
Just as I can think that abortion is simultaniously an evil act and that it should be legal....I can also hold other seemingly conflicting opinions.
1. Was Jan 6th an insurrection? No. It was a mob that was allowed to get out of control. Were there professional adjitators involved? Probably. Were there FBI agents in the crowd, some perhaps egging them on? Very likely. Did Trump fail to do all he could to rein it in? I think he could have done more but I do not think he intentionally set it in motion.
2. Do I believe Trump lost the election? Yes. Do I believe that there were games played in key states to assure that happened? Very likely and I think the odds were stacked against him by the media and social media and various localities. If all that changed, would he have won? Not likely but maybe.
Also....I take a lot of what comes out in these hearings with a big grain of salt.
1. They were clearly set up to be a political hit job. That there were no republicans on the that were not hand picked by Pelosi did it for me. That fact alone made the whole thing not worth paying attention to.
2. I would have had a lot more faith in the election had the democrats not fought so hard to avoid any investigations into irregularities. There WERE irregularities. Had the democrats and the media decided to do real investigations into them, regardless of where they lead, I would have more faith in the outcome. But instead, they just dismissed legitimate concerns out of hand and rushed ahead. Which then makes me suspicious of what they are hiding. What do they know or suspect that they are afraid of transparency?
3. I take the witnesses with a grain of salt too. Largely hand picked and coached by a committee and its staff that had an outcome in mind when they started. Its like hearing only the prosecution in a criminal case and knowing that the prosecution cherry picked the witnesses and told them what to say. I also suspect that some of these former staff members that are testifying against Trump have an agenda, that being to rehabilitate their social circles and job opportunities. So, again, I take that them with a big grain of salt.
Now, did I agree with Trump's policies? Yes I did. He proved right on a lot of things from NATO to China to dealing with COVID in a rational way. He got NAFTA fixed. He was right about the Europeans being dependent on Russia for their energy. He was right on the border. He got a lot right by running counter to the DC narrative. WHICH....is why he got elected in the first place.
DO I think he should be re-elected? No. He is too vindictive a personality to be allowed back in. Plus, he would be term limited the day he took the oath. Then, it would really incite violence and even deeper polarization. No. My pick would be DeSantis, Trump policies without Trump.
I was impressed with her testimony, but there may be a problem. In the western edition of the ABC news cast, there was breaking news that the Secret Service is demanding time to come before the committee to testify. Apparently, they will testify that Trump did not lunge at the agents in the car when they refused to take him to the capitol. Here is the link to the broadcast. The relevant reporting starts at about the 13:45 mark.
https://abc.com/shows/world-news-tonight/episode-guide/2022-06/28-tue-jun-28-2022
I am a former prosecutor and public defender. If the SS agents do testify as indicated, and then also testify that they did not say what she says they said, her testimony may be rendered worthless. I still don't know why they rushed this testimony, but it may be that they did before having checked her story with the agents involved. If that is the case, this could be a serious blunder. I hate to think of what Hutchinson's life will be like, and what damage this could do to the committee if the agents contradict her. The Trumpers will be screaming that she be indicted for lying to Congress. Her testimony in this regard was hearsay anyway and should have been avoided if it had not been verified by the agents involved.
This is not at all a fair representation of what has gone on. Sorry but you have been hoodwinked. Your initial thoughts were correct but some how you fell for the production. Not to mention he was already impeached over this crap and this is a politically motivated sideshow. I have lot of respect for you But this is a total misreading of the situation.
An interesting article. I haven’t watched the hearings but would be happy if the outcome was to prevent Trump from running again. Republicans will have several excellent candidates who will carry on Trump’s policies without Trump’s personal baggage..
As a lawyer, the article demonstrates to me the greatest flaw of the process which is the absence of any meaningful questioning of what was presented. Republicans on the committee were selected by Pelosi in defiance of convention, rather than McCarthy. I view the hearings as a stage show, some of which may be true and some not. The author relies for her conclusion in part on yesterday’s testimony by Ms. Hutchinson. That testimony has already been debunked in part, and maybe in whole, by several sources, including NBC and CNN. The ability for Republicans to cross examine witnesses and present other facts might have produced a very different, and more credible, story for the American people. Unfortunately, we will never know.
I usually love the articles on this site and the unique and differing perspectives offered, but this one right here is just a waste of words and adds no value to the conversation.
First off, Cassie Hutchinson has provided 4 recorded depositions. Here "explosive" testimony was not some last minute bombshell. It was all a ploy to drive up floundering ratings by a desperate Democratic Party and their communication wing - the main stream media. What's more, the Secret Service has given recorded statements that haven't been played, and Engel, the head of Trump's security team, and the limousine driver are saying they'll directly testify that he never grabbed the wheel or assaulted them. She's a scorned ex-aide who wasn't retained by Trump post-WH. I'd take her testimony with a grain of salt especially since not one Congressperson is on the committee to cross examine her.
We already knew Trump pressured state election officials, Mike Pence, and the GOP writ large to "stop the steal." We knew his rhetoric was inflammatory, undemocratic, and unAmerican, and we already knew that the institutions held because the election was certified 3 hours after the rioters entered the Capitol building and he's no longer the President. We knew Trump had an ugly and immoral disdain for Mike Pence especially when the rioters started chanting to hang him.
We knew Trump knew or should've known that his allegations we're baseless. He lost every court cases in which he challenged the results. Does knowing that those closest to him told him so add anything of real value? Does it justify this massive waste or words, time, and taxpayer money? I'd emphatically answer no. And this author is just now learning that Trump was a narcissist and is shocked that he, or any of our politicians, and all about "me, me, me?" Please stop it!
The predetermined verdict of the January 6th committee is that Trump is directly responsible for the riot, yet they haven't connected the dots and they won't. If they could've, it would've been the lead. We're 4 or 5 hearings in and still nothing. It's a carefully crafted kangaroo court to elicit an emotional response to Trump in preparation of the midterms. It's playing politics at the taxpayer expense aided and abetted by a complicit media meant to elicit emotional responses and worthless pieces of commentary like this.
I await the Congressional hearings on Hunter Biden’s laptop and his business dealings with enemy states that included his father.
Common Sense? Nah, Nonsense. Who informed the President about the AR-15s; and exactly how did that person know that information? This is critical because reporting by Julie Kelly indicates that no one was armed. I would also question the source of the information because reporting by Revolver News and others suggest that the FBI infiltrated the groups participating in the demonstration. See Ray Epps. Ms. Batya is an astute observer and her wrenching "realization" about J6 is genuine, but is she being snookered by the spectacle of the hearing - and such performers as Raskin, Schiff, and Cheney - without asking herself was the President right? Maybe, just maybe, the President had had enough of impeachment, collusion, resistance, and the deep state. Subsequent information indicates a lot of chicanery about the election, not least Zuckbucks, 2000 Mules, the Feb 2021 Time report by Molly Ball, and the reporting of Julie Kelly. take a very deep breath Ms. Batya. the final chapter to these hearings is yet to be written.
Batya,
I think you’re an amazing woman whose opinion I greatly respect. I agree that there are things I’ve learned about Trump from direct testimony of these witnesses that I did not know and I do not think Trump is fit for office. At the same time I am so offended by the one-sided, holier-than-thou nature of the committee members. A few of whom voted to overturn the results of the 2016 election! What the heck? I also don’t know what to make of the security detail that day who are willing to testify that Trump didn’t want to go to the Capitol. The whole hearing would have meant so much more if it weren’t so one-sided. Every time I tune in I can’t help but think wouldn’t it be great id we had another committee spectacle event like this one with slick editing and the reveal of taped testimonials of Sudan Rice and Obama and Comey and Clapper etc who set Trump up with the Christopher Steele dossier and on and on. I’d love to see an enactment of the behind the scenes conversations and planning that went into that insurrection!!! It’s all terrible.
I have not watched the hearings. They are made-for-TV propaganda and a distraction from the daily horrors created by the current administration. The only evidence I need to support that assertion is Pelosi’s unprecedented refusal to seat Republican-nominated members to the Committee, and abandon the constructive adversarial process that is a hallmark of our legislative and judicial systems.
After five years of being demonized, falsely accused, and thwarted at nearly every turn in his Presidency, I can understand any man’s frustration boiling over into conduct that is nonetheless unacceptable. And for someone as narcissistic as Trump it’s almost predictable.
However, the riot on January 6 still has too many questions unanswered: why was an unarmed woman shot and killed? Why were the Capitol police so unprepared? Why did Nancy Pelosi refuse additional security support? Were there covert government agents in the crowd, and what did they do to incite or stop the attack? Why have those accused of participating been jailed and subjected to abuse in confinement while Antifa members who burned, murdered, plundered multiple cities gone largely unpunished?
I want a President who will be a statesman, an honorable exemplar for the country, a person of temperance, common sense, and integrity. The hearings are going to do nothing to achieve that.
Wow! What a load! Whatever happened to verifying? This writer needs to write one more column then step down. What banal tripe!
I haven’t watched the hearings and still won’t. I voted for Trump twice knowing that he was a somewhat unfiltered narcissist. I hope he doesn’t run again as he is getting old and his style is stale. From what I’ve read these hearings and the committee are 100% biased so I still have no reason to watch. My only question is will the libs and Dems still want to impeach Trump 20 years after he’s dead.
Just turn on CNN or MSNBC and what is their lead story? Illegals dying in a truck? Ukraine? Primary results in several states? Nope. Some woman overheard some stuff and presented it as fact.
Americans are being hyponotized, brain washed. Idiots.
Amazing how many refuse to see Trump for what he is - a narcissistic bully who tried to bully other republicans to break the law. Do you also believe he won the election? Is your hate of the Democrats keeping you from seeing reality. Most of the evidence is coming from Republicans. It’s sad to watch what Trump has done to the Republican Party.