Hearings are underway examining the events of the Jan. 6 insurrection.
With seven Democrats and two Republicans, it’s unclear yet how easily the committee will come to a consensus.
KCBS Radio Political Analyst Marc Sandalow joined KCBS Radio’s Dan Mitchinson and Holly Quan on Tuesday morning to assess what will come out of the hearings.
"What they’re trying to do is figure out exactly the details that aren’t known," said Sandalow. So far, what’s been heard is, "a very harrowing, very emotional recap."
Testimony so far has been from witnesses to the event, such as a Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police officer who was crushed in a doorway, or another officer that reported being electrocuted over and over again with his own taser.
But perhaps the most heartbreaking was the opening testimony from U.S. Capitol Police officer Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, who couldn’t hug his wife after returning home from the incident because he was covered in so much pepper spray and other harsh chemicals.
"He said something that has been on people’s minds," said Sandalow. An immigrant from the Dominican Republic, who served in the U.S. military and fought in the Iraq War, "he says he cannot understand how some people express outrage when American athletes kneel for social justice but those same people are trying to downplay when violent thugs overrun the U.S. Capitol," said Sandalow.
While many already know this information, the main issues yet to be discussed are what happened in the White House, who is responsible for what happened, and "exactly why it is that the Capitol police force, which is charged with protecting members of Congress and did so that day, but seemed so woefully unprepared for what was coming," he said.
Some Republicans are pointing fingers at the Democrats, in particular, the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who some say is responsible. "Some of this is clearly deflection," said Sandalow. Pelosi doesn’t have the authority to call in other help, such as the National Guard, in events such as this.
"They are right to the extent that these questions should be raised by this committee," he said. "It’s all about finding out what happened and making sure it doesn’t happen again."
Already, there have been "lots of tears this morning on Capitol Hill," said Sandalow.
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