The January 6 Capitol insurrection was just like a tourist visit!

The US Republican party's revisionist view of the January 6 riots on and inside the Capitol has begun in earnest. It wasn't a riot at all. Looking at the images on the day reminded one Republican of a typical tourist visit to the seat of democracy in the United States of America. And no no no Donad Trump wasn't to blame for inciting the riot and by the way who says they were Trump supporters anyway, did anyone ask them? All these arguments were made during the House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing yesterday. This was yet another low moment in the history of Congress. Such an extraordinarily outrageous rewriting of the facts on that January 6 event. Just to put the comments about a normal tourist visit made by Republican Representative Andrew Clyde from Georgia into context, five people died on that day and two police officers later committed suicide. I hope this sort of death toll doesn't happen every time tourists pay a call on the Capitol. Trying to disassociate Trump and his pre-riot speech from the subsequent rioters' actions is one thing but to claim that the fighting and smashing of windows and attacks on police and the terrified members of Congress who believed their lives were in danger can never be explained away as a routine day out in the Capitol. It beggars belief that the Republican from Georgia dared to come out with this tourist analogy. Another person speaking out at the committee also distinguished himself by his sheer effrontery. Christopher Miller who for a few months was acting US defence secretary in the final period of Trump's administration, had previously admitted in public that the Trump address to the crowd in which he called on his supporters to fight for their cause played a part in what subsequently followed. But before the committee he said he had now reassessed what happened and actually thought this wasn't the case at all oh no no no. There had been a pre-planned conspiracy to assault the Capitol and it would have happened whether Trump had spoken out or not. Miller said it was ridiculous to accuse him of deliberately changing his tune to which one Democratic Representative Stephen Lynch (Massachusetts) responded: "You're ridiculous". Actually the whole session was ridiculous, aimed on the Republican side to show that Trump had nothing to do with the riot of his supporters, most of whom by the way were wearing Trump Make America Great Again caps and hats and t-shirts. Democracy at work in Congress yesterday? It was a sorry sight.