Analyzing the Jan. 6 hearings and a potential agreement on gun reform

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• John Yang:

  Now our weekend briefing, our congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins back along with special correspondent Jeff Greenfield, who's also a columnist for Politico magazine.

  Jeff, I want to start with you. We heard Lisa, give us the details of the top of the show of this bipartisan gun deal in the Senate. It's an election year. Could this have any impact on the midterms?

• Jeff Greenfield:

  It's interesting, as many people have already pointed out that none of the 10 Republicans who signed on to this are up for retiring six aren't up for a couple of years. And the one Republican up for reelection from a competitive state as opposed to a deep red state is Ron Johnson in Wisconsin.

  It'll be interesting to see whether they're across pressures on him. But I think the idea that any of the Republicans have free elections from states where gun rights is a very passionate issue, I'll go into Sunan to this would be pretty problematic.

• John Yang:

  And as Lisa pointed out, they don't need Johnson's vote. They've got enough votes with the group they have already. Lisa, I want to turn to you now talk about what's coming up this week with the January 6 hearings. We've got a hearing tomorrow and then more throughout the week. What should we be looking for as the week goes on?

• Lisa Desjardins:

  There's some big headliners. We now today know two of the witness names that would be kind of making headlines tomorrow, Democrats and committee members hope. Let's look at that list. First of all on that list, notably, former allies of President Trump, Bill Stepien, a former campaign manager in 2020 for President Donald Trump and Chris Stirewalt, he is a former political editor for Fox News. And, you know, it's not a surprise because we've seen throughout that the committee is eager to raise the testimony of conservatives.

  Let's look at what they want to do this week. Let's lay out the map for the three hearings that we see this week. Tomorrow, the theme we're told by the January 6 Select Committee is about President Trump and his awareness that he lost. But yet the fact that he spread what we call sometimes the big lie, the idea that the election was stolen. Then on Wednesday, the focus there will be President Trump's pressure on the Department of Justice, especially what the committee charges are his efforts to remove the Attorney General and put in an attorney general who would exact his agenda. Thursday, the president's former president's pressure on his Vice President with also the committee says the purpose of overturning the election.

• John Yang:

  Lisa, is it possible to tell from these — what's coming up the sort of the strategy that the committee has in laying out the story laying out their case?

• Lisa Desjardins:

  I think so. We can see a lot here. This case is all about former President Trump. But this is a committee that has members who were part of different impeachment trials. And what they are doing here is they're saying don't take our word for it. We know you believe that we have political agendas here. Instead believe the word of those who work around President Trump.

  They're going to make the argument that this is not circumstantial this case, but that their case is based on direct evidence, people who were with the former president in the days leading up to January 6, and all throughout the election.

• John Yang:

  Jeff, you've written that you don't think these hearings have the same impact as say the Watergate hearings did more than all those many years ago. Why is that?

• Jeff Greenfield:

  Well, there are two reasons. One is that the Watergate hearings slowly dealt out in a very stately pace information that no one knew. In this case, even though we're getting compelling, dramatic evidence, the fundamental fact of this case, at least I think, for most people has been known for a very long time that Trump tried to overturn the election.

  But the other reason is the different nature of the Republican Party. I mean, back then Republicans came to Watergate, skeptical about the claims, when Howard Baker famously said, what did the President know when they know, that was a sign to exculpate the President to say, well, it wasn't him it was eight and when they learned that was, in fact, the president minds changed.

  This Republican Party, by and large, with an exception like Liz Cheney and Congressman Kinzinger are so locked in to us. often contradictory beliefs, but all pointing to the same thing. It was a peaceful protest, it was a false flag, it was Antifa. It was all a political stunt, that the idea of any evidence being presented that would change the critical mass of Republicans would be much more difficult to see happening now than 50 years ago.

• John Yang:

  Lisa, what would the committee Democrats say to that, that, that this is something that everyone already knows, and, and the Republicans, the current Republican Party just doesn't want to hear?

• Lisa Desjardins:

  I think all the members of the committee will say this, they would say that this will affect underlying and important dynamics and politics and culture in this country, even if it doesn't change polling numbers for the former president. They think this is important evidence that could have an impact on history. And what's more, we're all they would say, regardless of the politics, they believe, if you talk to them that this is important in terms of dangers that they see right now to democracy.

• John Yang:

  And Lisa, they're going to send referrals to the Justice Department from some of this evidence?

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Yes, that's a good point. This is another audience for these hearings is the justice department itself. They are building a case that isn't just rhetorical, but they are laying out evidence for the Justice Department. And there are committee members and even Democrats also in the House who say there are criminal charges that they think should be put forth by the Justice Department after this.

  Now, that's their decision, but it's clear that they are trying to build a case and hand that off to the Justice Department here.

• John Yang:

  Jeff Greenfield. Thank you very much. Lisa Desjardins, thank you very much. And Lisa will be back at her post on Capitol Hill tomorrow, starting at 10 Eastern time for a live coverage of the second day — second January 6 hearing.

  Judy Woodruff will be leading our news our team on your PBS station, check local listings or visit our website or YouTube page starting at 9:45 Eastern tomorrow morning.

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