"Panel Ties Trump to Fake Elector Plan, Mapping His Attack on Democracy"

The hearing ending with testimony from Ms. Moss, an election worker who processed votes with her mother, Ruby Freeman, in Atlanta on Election Day. In early December, Mr. Giuliani appeared a state legislative hearing in Georgia and falsely accused her and her mother of taking ballots from a suitcase and illegally running them through voting machines.

Mr. Giuliani’s baseless allegations were amplified by right-wing media outlets and by Mr. Trump, who mentioned Ms. Moss’s name several times during his call with Mr. Raffensperger. After the accusations went viral, Ms. Moss was subjected to racist threats by phone and text and became afraid to leave the house.

The public hearings of the January 6th House Committee have had some powerful aspects. Those already inclined to be into them (such as MSNBC people) are fascinated.  I'm unsure how the average person is reacting though many (and not just black people) were really pissed off watching Wandrea Moss, a (black woman) Georgia election worker, testifying. 

There is power to live hearings and they have been well organized, helped by not having partisan Republicans [such as those in a hearing today on workplace behavior at the NFL using their time to repeatedly complain about Biden not being overseen instead] making a pest of themselves.  It is somewhat unfortunate, since you want hearings not to just be one-sided, but it is so much easier.  Also, it is carefully set up so we don't have each member asking questions and basically grandstanding.

This is why it was so important to have witnesses during the two impeachment trials, even if the chief manager handwaved the lack of them the second time around. We saw personable, civic minded types in the House hearings during the first impeachment. The second impeachment does show what a well put on presentation could entail: it had an excellent video presentation, putting together an extended narrative. 

And, now we are seeing some here, until now basically white Republican guys who if Trump ran again would (more than one said so) vote for the guy again.  A powerful one yesterday was an Arizona legislative leader (Rusty Bowers, an older white Mormon) who first totally denied Trump's claim that he told Trump the election was fraudulent.  And, then he passionately, mixing in both faith and republican duty, explained how he rejected Trump's attempt to get him involved with further the Big Lie. 

An earlier hearing had former conservative federal judge / short lister to the Supreme Court, John Michael Luttig.  He was so deliberate early on that people thought he had a stroke ("stop making fun of a stroke victim!"). Since it was a video presentation, that couldn't just be handwaved, but what he said mattered.  He ended with a warning:

Trump and his allies and supporters are a clear and present danger to American democracy. They would attempt to overturn that 2024 election in the same way that they attempted to overturn the 2020 election, but succeed in 2024 where they failed in 2020. I don't speak those words lightly. I would have never spoken those words ever in my life, except that that's what the former president and his allies are telling us.

The whole thing -- with so much coming out, there is apparently going to be more hearings than at first expected; reports of editing questions on the fly in the middle of things -- is rather impressive.  As the the poll worker, well, I have and will be a poll worker again.  So, that is somewhat personal. Others might sign up because of her public service.  I was one before it was cool.  

Again, we will see what this all will go, there not being some magic complete justice realistically in the cards.  A basic thing about these hearings is that people still are able to be upset, still have the wherewithal to have faith in the system, and wanting to see people defend it.  That matters.

We will see how strong that sentiment is.  We found out that Sen. Ron Johnson, already a serious tool, was involved in trying to hand fake electoral certificates to presiding officer Mike Pence.  Johnson is up for re-election this year.  Will Wisconsin voters re-elect him? People don't want to call Pence a "hero" and his heroism is clearly very limited.  Voters can do their part in November.  

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We will get back to our previously scheduled SCOTUS programming soon, especially since they added a Friday Opinion Day.