Washington, D.C. — Rep. Dean Phillips expressed his support for tonight’s bipartisan January 6^th Committee hearings. The hearings will begin at 7 p.m. CT and will be televised on most national TV stations.

On the one-year anniversary of Jan. 6 earlier this year, Phillips introduced a bill to permanently designate January 6 as “Democracy Day.” That bill is currently co-sponsored by 58 fellow lawmakers.

“Investigating an insurrection inspired and enabled by a defeated president is principled - not partisan,” Phillips said. “Future generations of Americans must be aware of what took place in the U.S. Capitol that day and resolve to preserve, protect, and invest in our fragile democracy.”

There are two Republican members of the Jan. 6 committee: Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), and Committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY), one of the most conservative members of the House of Representatives. In May 2021, Thirty-five Republicans in the House voted to establish a national bipartisan commission tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 attacks.

Phillips believes it’s important that as many Americans as possible can see and understand what happened that day, so that we as a nation can prevent a similar insurrection from ever happening again, whether it be led by Republicans or Democrats. He supports televised hearings about Americans’ urgent concerns, be it January 6, inflation, gas pricing or gun violence.

Phillips is a member of the Gallery Group, a diverse set of lawmakers who experienced the trauma of Jan. 6 together and have met regularly to discuss what happened and it’s implication for Capitol police and the nation at large. Good Morning America broadcasted their story earlier this year.

On Jan. 6, 2021, a group of insurrectionists carried out a violent attack against the U.S. Capitol in a failed attempt to prevent lawmakers from certifying the outcome of the 2020 Presidential election. The attack ultimately resulted in multiple deaths and physical harm to over 140 members of law enforcement, and it would have been worse but for their bravery.

The actions of law enforcement – and the swift response by legislators and staff whose lives were also at risk that day – ensured that lawmakers could carry out their responsibility to certify the election results. Their actions in the face of tremendous personal danger helped preserve an over 220-year, unbroken tradition of democratic transitions of presidential power.

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