WASHINGTON (AP) — Audiences watching the first public hearing of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot saw one injured officer who slipped in blood and spoke of “carnage.” They saw video of a huge, violent mob pushing through the U.S. Capitol. And they saw former President Donald Trump’s allies and family members acknowledging his lies. Panel members worked to lay out a devastating case as they tried to tell the story of how it happened, and how to prevent it from ever happening again, for history. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the panel, says, “We can’t sweep what happened under the rug.”
Photo: People gather in a park outside of the U.S. Capitol to watch the Jan. 6 House committee investigation in Washington, Thursday, June 9, 2022. The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol holds the first in a series of hearings laying out its findings on Thursday night. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)