Opinion: Jan. 6 hearings unworthy of us and history

I was 11 during the summer of 1973 when the Watergate hearings were televised. The memory is still clear in my mind, and it was a watershed moment for a young girl who thought her country was perfect. It clearly wasn’t.

Now, almost 50 years later, I am even more cognizant of the flaws in our nation, even though I spend most of my waking hours helping other people become American citizens. The flaws pale in comparison to the problems people face in other countries, mass shootings and “women stripped of their rights” included.

But I am not convinced that these Jan. 6 hearings are a legitimate exercise in facing up to those flaws because unlike Watergate, it is an utterly partisan process. And that is not entirely the fault of the GOP.

During Watergate, many of the primary players in the investigation were Republicans, including “All the President’s Men” like John Dean, H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, as well as committee members like Senators Howard Baker from Tennessee, Edward Gurney from Florida and Lowell Weiker from Connecticut. These were not just figurehead Republicans empowered to do the work of their Democrat colleagues. They were co-equals on a committee that had the best interests of the country at heart. The committee chair, Sam Ervin of North Carolina, was fair and balanced and put his party behind his citizenship.

I wish I could say the same about the Jan. 6 committee. The Speaker of the House denied the House minority leader his choice of members, and hand-picked Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. That’s fine as far as it goes because both of them are legitimate members of the GOP, but unlike their counterparts at the Watergate hearings, they seem more intent on channeling Democrats’ grievance than providing a well-rounded view of the events.

Some will argue it’s the GOP’s fault they aren’t more involved in the proceedings, since they’ve stonewalled and created a bizarre legion of loyalty to the former president. That is true, and I also happen to think it’s much less loyalty to the president and much more a “save my own skin” mentality that is motivating those who push back against the work of the committee.

But having seen the way the hearings are being presented on CNN and MSNBC with the almost gleeful replaying of every compromising moment and the “gotcha” attitude of the hosts, I fully understand why a large portion of Americans reject the legitimacy of this committee and these hearings. The hearings are being used to tar, by proxy, anyone who voted for Donald Trump, anyone who refused to disavow his actions as president, anyone who dared question the fairness of the election process and anyone who thinks the Democrats’ social agenda is excessive and extreme.

Personally, I think Trump acted despicably on Jan. 6. There is nothing honorable in his actions on that day, and after I saw the Capitol breached, I wanted hearings and clarity. Every American who respects the rule of law wanted the same.

But these hearings are unworthy of us, and of our history. The members are acting like prosecutors in front of a grand jury, and their presentations are one-sided and colored by their own personal animus.

Christine Flowers is a columnist for the Delaware County Daily Times. Contact her at:

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