The following column does not constitute an endorsement of any political party, or candidate, on the part of Newsmax.
The Jan. 6 Capitol Riot will likely be a mainstay of the President Biden's reelection campaign as well as those of other Democrats.
Indeed, President Biden's campaign announcement started with footage from the riot.
The Republican presidential nominee, especially if it is President Trump, and Republicans in other races will have to defeat the Democrats' arguments that President Trump and Republicans caused the riot and are a threat to democracy.
Republicans, and House Republicans in particular, must defeat these arguments.
Republicans must point out that the Jan. 6 Committee did not produce any evidence indicating that Trump ordered the Riot.
As I wrote on Jan. 12, 2021, it was obvious that President Trump did not cause or commit the Capitol Riot.
Democrats will refer to the Jan. 6 Committee's point that President Trump worked to have representatives object to states' awarding of electoral votes.
Republicans must point out that this strategy is not the same as calling for a riot.
Republicans must also note the legality of this objection strategy and that Democrats implemented it in 2001, 2005, and 2017 (see video).
While the above points should be sufficient to defeat the Democrats' Jan. 6 argument, House Republicans (hereinafter, "Republicans") must take steps to defeat this argument.
They must investigate aspects of the Capitol Riot which run counter to the Democrats' narrative and then report their findings to the American people.
Most importantly, Republicans must validate President Trump's claims that he authorized 10,000 National Guard troops to be deployed in Washington, D.C., and that this offer was denied.
These troops would have prevented the Capitol Riot.
In all likelihood, the offer of National Guard troops was both conveyed and responded to in writing. Republicans merely need to obtain these writings and put them on a public website.
If writings do not exist, Republicans could prove the existence of the offer by calling individuals to testify such as those were in the Oval Office when President Trump requested the National Guard.
Republicans must also have those responsible for the security of the Capitol and Washington, D.C., testify under oath. Concurrently, Republicans must subpoena their emails, notes, and memoranda regarding any security issues and planning for Jan. 6.
They should be asked about why the Capitol was not better fortified, any intelligence about possible attacks, and their responses to President Trump's request to authorize National Guard troops.
At the very least, Republicans should call Mayor of Washington, D.C. Muriel Bowser; the head of the Capitol Police Force; the members of the Capitol Police Board; FBI Director Christopher Wray; former Attorney General William "Bill" Barr, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; former House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.; former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; and former Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Republicans must be aggressive to obtain this information.
If individuals refuse to testify, they must be subpoenaed. If witnesses refuse to answer questions based on their claims that information is classified or cannot be divulged to protect "sources and methods," House Republicans must go to court to force them to provide answers to the questions (thus maintaining the House's investigatory powers).
Third, Republicans must determine the FBI's role in the Riot. FBI officials have implied that FBI agents were in the crowd but have declined to explain why they were there due to the protection of "sources and methods."
Republicans must determine these agents' actions during the Riot.
The Durham Report notes that the FBI meddled in a previous election (2016) and affected political outcome(s). Republicans must determine if the FBI did so on Jan. 6 as well.
Fourth, the House of Representatives must release all 40,000 hours of recordings from Jan. 6 to the public. Everyone needs to be able to see the tapes.
Additionally, a precedent should not be set that a Speaker of the House can release information to one newscaster (Tucker Carlson) and not the others.
Last, House Republicans must delve into the investigation of the two pipe bombs which were planted at the RNC and DNC headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021.
House Republicans must determine why this incident has not been solved.
Most importantly, Republicans must convey their findings to the American people.
To do so, they must present their findings in the same manner as the Jan 6. Committee did, that is during primetime and daytime television and radio which preempted other programs.
Republicans must demand that they receive this same type of coverage (both total hours and schedule).
If stations refuse to do so, House Republicans should bring suit against them and file FEC and FCC complaints regarding equal time laws.
The Republican Party is fortunate to know one of the Democrats' main strategies for the 2024 election. They must act now to defeat this Democrat argument and not wait until the end of the campaign to do so.
Michael B. Abramson is a practicing attorney. He is also an adviser with the National Diversity Coalition for Trump. He is the host of the "Advancing the Agenda" podcast and the author of "A Playbook for Taking Back America: Lessons from the 2012 presidential Election." Follow him on his website and Twitter, @mbabramson. Read Michael B. Abramson's Reports — More Here.