WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday weighed in on the importance of the congressional hearings about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying that Americans should know what unfolded and that "the same forces that led to Jan. 6 remain at work today."
"The insurrection on Jan. 6 was one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history — a brutal assault on our democracy, a brutal attack on law enforcement, some losing their lives, and we heard about it last night again," Biden said at the top of remarks focused on inflation at the Port of Los Angeles.
The president said he wasn't able to watch the first hearing held Thursday night, but said it's important that the public understands "what truly happened."
"We have to protect our democracy," he said, adding that "the soul of America has been far from won."
The Jan. 6 hearings, he continued, are about allowing "no one to place a dagger at the throat of our democracy" and uniting both Democrats and Republicans to defend it.
Friday's were Biden's first remarks since the committee held its first hearing Thursday night in a primetime presentation. The first hearing gave an overview of the committee's findings, including that Jan. 6 was the "culmination of an attempted coup" and "represented Trump's last stand" to cling to power, according to Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.
The committee plans to hold at least six more hearings in June, with the second one slated for Monday, June 13 and the third scheduled for Wednesday, June 15.
