WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — As the Jan. 6 House committee lays out their findings in the investigation of the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, WPTV spoke with a local Democratic congressman and the chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party to get their thoughts.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., from District 22, discussed Thursday what South Floridians should expect to hear in the coming days.
Deutch said it is vital that Americans listen to what happened to our democracy on Jan. 6 and why.
"I have no idea why anyone would object to getting to the bottom of what exactly happened unless they're worried about where the accountability is ultimately going to lie," Deutch said. "That's really what this is about, is making sure that we understand what happened and that there is full accountability."
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The congressman said the investigation will help the country move forward and strengthen democracy.
Palm Beach County Republican Party Chairman Michael Barnett said he won't watch the televised hearings.
Republicans argue it's a witch hunt, a distraction from the economic pain that many Americans are currently feeling compared to the events on Jan. 6, 2021.
"I do think Americans should remember where they were and what they were doing [in Jan. 2021]. They were actually paying $2.38 a gallon for gas, which is half the national average for a gallon of gas today," Barnett said. "That's what people are mostly concerned about."
Barnett called the investigation "a farce" and a "painfully obvious" ploy by the Democrats to distract from the downturn in the economy and the upcoming midterm elections.