Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) is not a good guy, but he’s also not stupid. He graduated from Harvard in 1998 and Harvard Law School in 2002. So when he goes on television and conflates a congressional hearing and a criminal trial, he isn’t saying that because he doesn’t know how it works. He’s saying it because he knows his supporters don’t.
On Monday, Cotton appeared on FHugh Hewitt’s show to discuss the hearings presenting the evidence gathered regarding the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building, incited by the twice-impeached ex-president who lost the popular vote twice and tried to dismantle democracy.
Cotton was one of the senators forced to run for his life when the insurrectionists attacked, but he’s still willing to push a false narrative about the hearings being unfair because no one is cross-examined and there is no argument by Trump supporters presented. Cotton knows that isn’t how a committee hearing works.
‘I think what you’ve seen over the last few weeks is why Anglo-American jurisprudence going back centuries has found that adversarial inquiry, cross-examination is the best way to get at the truth.’
Hey @SenTomCotton – heard you on @hughhewitt criticizing the Jan 6 hearings.
Then you said the strangest thing; you admitted you hadn’t watched any of them.
Here’s a tip: actually watching them before rendering judgment is more consistent with “Anglo-American jurisprudence.”
— Rep. Liz Cheney (@RepLizCheney) July 25, 2022
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) commented on Cotton’s statements after hearing him say that he had not watched any of the hearings, making his criticism suspect. Cheney was quick to call out the ridiculousness of his criticism, which can only be based on the opinions of others regarding the hearings.
The truth is that Donald Trump and all of Trump’s aides and allies are more than welcome, to be sure, to testify in front of the committee. Many were subpoenaed, in fact, but they refused to appear. If “the other side” wanted to be represented, why didn’t they go?
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Cheney’s fellow Republican on the committee, had this response:
Twitter had a response to Cheney’s advice to Cotton, as well, with most agreeing that, while they disagree with nearly all of Cheney’s supported policies, they admire her courage and are following the hearings closely. Read some of their comments below:
