There are real questions that need answering regarding the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Some of those questions involve former President Donald Trump. What was Trump doing, for example, during that almost 90-minute period that saw former Vice President Mike Pence coordinating to get the National Guard on-site? After a summer that saw the burning of St. John’s Church and riots outside the White House, why was the Capitol left almost completely defenseless on the day of highly charged protests?
Sadly, it does not appear that questions like these are foremost on the Jan. 6 commission’s mind. Facing accusations of partisan bias and interest, it doesn’t help that commission members appear on MSNBC or CNN every night. Some seem to do so to make unfounded claims involving criminal indictments, only to walk those claims back later. However, the commission is now exercising its subpoena power and making recommendations that far exceed the purview of the invasion of the Capitol. If this looks like a prime-time, staged television performance, that’s because it probably is.
As originally reported in Rolling Stone, the commission is seeking private internal communications from several tech companies from that day, namely Twitter and Slack. According to the report, “In August 2021, The Commission sent letters requesting data from 15 different social media companies in a request that sought information from tech giants like Google, Meta, and Twitter as well as more niche far-right platforms like 4chan and the Qanon mecca, 8kun.”
The panel sent formal subpoenas to Twitter, Meta, Google, and Reddit in January. Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS), who himself objected to certifying Ohio’s electoral votes for George W. Bush in 2004, has demanded any and all communications from Twitter regarding what the company did to, as he claims, stem the spread of election conspiracies.
This doesn’t sound like an investigation into the events at the Capitol last year but rather another example of the Democratic Party’s obsession with stopping the spread of what it calls “disinformation.” Twitter has pushed back thus far, citing First Amendment rights. It is refusing to turn over internal messages. It deserves credit for this stance and should hold to it. For that matter, so should Google, Facebook, and other social media platforms. The demand for social media companies to go after unwanted users with kooky “wrongthink” under the threat of a federal subpoena stinks. If Democrats are really worried about election denials spreading on social media, perhaps they can consult with the White House press secretary.
In its final report, the commission is expected to make several recommendations on preventing another Capitol siege. Reportedly, one of those will be to abolish the Electoral College. That’s been another political obsession on the Left in more recent years. Regardless, the more that more moderate commission members yield to the demands of fringe elements of the Democratic Party, the less their efforts look like a legitimate investigation. According to the report that appeared first in Axios, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), the lead Republican on the commission, has reportedly pushed back against the suggestion of abolishing the Electoral College.
On this, at least, Cheney is right. The commission should keep its focus narrow and its objectivity central, if that’s even possible. Which the commission’s recent conduct brings into serious question.
Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) has written for National Review, the New York Post, and Fox News and hosts the Versus Media podcast.
