Democrat’s Jan. 6 Falsehood Sparks a Donnybrook with GOP in US House Judiciary Committee

What was supposed to be a hearing about provocateur Ray Epps before the House Committee on the Judiciary on Sept. 21 quickly devolved into a shouting match between Democrat lawmakers pushing a Jan. 6 falsehood and Republicans who insisted that being labeled “conspiracy theorists” won’t stop efforts to learn the truth.

If the goal of the committee was to find the truth, the hearing fell short.

It did succeed, however, at showcasing the expanding divide between political camps over Jan. 6, the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump, and the future of the country. All falling under the backdrop of crucial midterm elections.

The hearing was rife with barbs and insults.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), at times shouting, asserted that Trump is a “cult leader” and a “compulsive liar.” He ripped the GOP committee members for pushing “some utterly frivolous rabbit-hole conspiracy theory to try to pull a smokescreen over the eyes of the public.”

Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) repeatedly referred to Trump as “Orange Jesus,” a term he said he heard from a Republican colleague.

“This loyalty to Orange Jesus … is going to ruin our democracy. And more innocent lives are going to be lost in the process if you guys keep this up,” he said. “It is not too late to join House Democrats in honoring our oath to the Constitution.”

Ray Epps encourages protesters to go into the Capitol the night before the siege of Jan. 6, 2021. (Villain Report/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

The committee was debating a resolution that would have directed the Biden administration and the Department of Justice to turn over all records it has on Epps, who incited protesters to enter the Capitol on Jan. 6 but was never arrested or charged.

The resolution ultimately failed on a party-line vote. An alternative