According to a report from CNN, close congressional allies of Donald Trump are making plans, at his urging, to push back at the televised House hearings on the Jan 6th insurrection hoping to distract viewers from expected revelations about the former president's complicity in the attack on the Capitol building.
However, as the report points out, that may be easier said than done.
CNN is reporting that Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is heading up the diversionary antics, with Trump communicating "to some of his most loyal acolytes on Capitol Hill that the former President wants people vigorously defending him and pushing back."
Among those expected to take part in the counterprogramming are Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Jim Banks (R-IN), each of whom have been asked by the bipartisan committee to appear and answer questions.
As CNN reports, "Trump’s insistence that his allies defend his honor has mobilized Republicans both on and off the Hill into action, with a broad range of plans to protect him. This despite the belief by some Republicans that they should draw attention away from January 6 and instead continue to beat the drum of the present day economic and cultural issues that have resonated with voters."
The belief that the GOP should ignore the hearings is borne out by the fact that, while Stefanik and company plan a major pushback, they have no idea what is coming because House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pulled all of his nominees to the committee leaving no Trump loyalist to tip-off GOP House members what has been uncovered.
"Part of the challenge for Republicans — especially after they decided to boycott the select committee — is that they have little insight into what the investigation has uncovered and what might be revealed in the public hearings, making it harder for them to settle on a precise strategy," CNN is reporting before adding, "Another is the prospect that the committee will lean heavily on testimony from former aides of Vice President Mike Pence to help make their case – a scenario that could force Republicans to choose sides in a more public way than they have done so previously."
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