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Profs and Pints DC presents: “Will the Jan. 6 Hearings Matter?” with Matthew Green, professor of politics at Catholic University and author of several books on Congress and American politics.
The hearings of the January 6th Committee have made for riveting television. But will they have any effect on Donald Trump’s legal or political future, or on how people perceive the assault on the U.S. Capitol Building, or on the ability of Congress to protect itself?
Come hear such questions tackled by Professor Matthew Green of Catholic University, who has been chronicling the Congressional response to the January 6 attacks on the blog Mischiefs of Faction. He’ll frame the current hearings in their larger historical and political context and give an up-to-the-minute analysis of their impact.
From the Crédit-Mobilier banking scandal of the mid-19th century to Watergate and Iran-Contra in the 20th, Congress has long used investigatory committees to try to discover and expose wrongdoings. Drawing upon his own research and the work of other political scientists, Professor Green will explain what these committees are usually intended to accomplish and their track record of success.
He’ll also discuss how the January 6th Committee is unlike the congressional committees of the past, focusing on how the highly polarized, media-saturated environment that it operates in hinders the panel’s efforts to draw attention to its findings. Along with describing the various obstacles faced by the committee, he’ll also discuss how the hearings are distinctive enough to potentially overcome any obstacles and spur real action.
It’s a talk that will help you make sense of days of testimony, see through efforts to spin what’s been said, and have a decent sense of where all of this may be leading or how you can respond to it as a citizen and voter. (Advance tickets: $12. Doors: $15, or $13 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please allow yourself time to place any orders and get seated and settled in.)
Image: A still from the January 6th Committee’s livestream of its first hearing.
