The vice-chairman of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., described the events of that day as "a moment of maximum danger for our republic."
Watch Cheney's remarks in the player above.
Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, outlined what the committee has learned about the events leading up to that brisk January day when Trump sent his supporters to Congress to "fight like hell" for his presidency as lawmakers undertook the typically routine job of certifying the previous November's results.
READ MORE: Your guide to key players at the Jan. 6 hearings
Court documents show that members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were discussing as early as November a need to fight to keep Trump in office. Leaders both groups and some members have since been indicted on rare sedition charges over the military-style attack.
Thursday night's hearing aimed to lay out in gripping detail that the deadly 1/6 violence was no accident. Instead, the panel declared it was the result of Trump's repeated lies about election fraud and public call for supporters to come to Washington and his private campaign at the highest levels of government to block Congress from certifying Biden's election victory.
The result of the coming weeks of public hearings may not change hearts or minds in politically polarized America. But the committee's investigation with 1,000 interviews is intended to stand as a public record for history. A final report aims to provide an accounting of the most violent attack on the Capitol since the British set fire to it in 1814, and to ensure such an attack never happens again.