Jan. 6 committee chair warns US Capitol insurrection put “two and a half centuries of constitutional democracy at risk” as public hearings begin

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With never-seen video, new audio and a “mountain of evidence,” the public hearings by the U.S. House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol began on Thursday — detailing not only the deadly violence that erupted that day but also the backstory of defeated president Donald Trump attempting to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory. “The insurrection has put two and a half centuries of constitutional democracy at risk,” committee chair Bennie Thompson said. “The world is watching what we do here… It begins here, and it begins now.”

• Key takeaways from Jan. 6 committee’s first hearing on the Capitol riot