Dave: I agree with all of your comments except about this not being partisan. I think the whole purpose of the hearings is partisan politics. Why are they even having hearings on this? What do they expect to accomplish with these hearings? IMO the whole point is to rebuff Trump, or somehow blame him for the actions of the protesters. I'm all for arresting, trying, and putting in jail the people that committed crimes, but this hearing isn't the forum for doing that.
It is not partisan.
Also, if you listen or watch the hearings, it's not a circus. It's just people telling their stories about the facts of the day. There are multiple life-long, high-serving Republicans on the panel.
When there are major incidents in the country: Wars, 9/11, Watergate, Assassinations, etc. -- you use a bipartisan commission to create a fact-based account of what happened. First, to understand, but secondly, so you can prevent it in the future and learn from it.
This is not artificially coming for Trump, but likely naturally coming for Trump, not because of partisan hackery, but because TRUMP DID THAT SHIT and he doesn't want the truth coming out. A commission gives power to put people under oath. We need to find, just as a country of people, what was going on in the White House before and especially DURING the attack. Who knew what threats, what was the response, who asked for help, was it denied, etc.
What makes it harder is that the GOP who are trying to stop it and call it a mockery are implicated. In the days of Watergate, the GOP came to be part of the fight against their own leader's corruption. Aside from a few individuals, that largely hasn't been the case with the GOP. I think there are a lot of GOP individuals who feel that way and are either quiet or have left the part (I know some of them).
This isn't even about pegging who is at fault, though there will be some of that. It's really about none of us wanting a mob storming our most sacred buildings to overthrow the government so easily, regardless of their intentions or party affiliation. And the fact that this occurred pretty simply means you need to find out the details.