Jan. 6 committee airs violent, previously unseen footage

The chairman of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot declared at Thursday's prime-time hearing that the attack was an 'attempted coup' that put 'two and half centuries of constitutional democracy at risk.'

LAKE MARY, Fla. - The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol held its first public hearing on Thursday.

The chairman of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and Donald Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election opened Thursday's prime-time hearing declaring the lies that led to the deadly attack put "two and half centuries of constitutional democracy at risk."

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said "the world is watching" the U.S. response to the panel's yearlong investigation into the Capitol riot and the defeated president's extraordinary effort to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's election victory.

"America has long been expected to be a shining city on a hill. A beacon of hope and freedom," Thompson said. "How can we play that role when our own house is in such disorder? We must confront the truth with candor, resolve, and determination."

The committee was presenting never-before-seen video and a mass of other evidence, aiming to show the "harrowing story" of the deadly violence that day and also a chilling backstory as Trump, the defeated president, tried to overturn Biden's election victory.

Thursday night's hearing was providing eyewitness testimony from the first police officer pummeled in the mob riot and from a documentary filmmaker who tracked the extremist Proud Boys as they prepared to fight for Trump immediately after the election and then led the storming of the Capitol.

The hearing also featured accounts from Trump aides and family members, interviewed behind closed doors.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.