The 6 January hearings will not reflect well on former president Trump

Editorial: The continual reminders of the lunacies of the final days of his presidency will surely harm Trump’s chances of a comeback in 2024

They will find out what, if anything, Mr Trump did to restrain these violent, would-be revolutionary rebels (AFP/Getty)

Well, whaddya know – as they say in America. Well, shortly the US congressional committee on the attempted insurrection on 6 January 2020 will tell the world exactly what it knows about the events of that traumatic day, after almost a year of investigation.

Also, this being America, a Hollywood-style treatment is promised for the video and documentary evidence collected by the committee, and it will all be broadcast and streamed in prime time. The only thing missing will be live appearances by Madonna, Kim Kardashian and Tom Hanks.

So it will be quite a show, featuring interviews with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, among others directly and indirectly involved. Sensational as all this will be, it may be followed by evidence sessions featuring the protesters, former vice president Mike Pence, members of Congress and, most tantalisingly, former president Donald Trump. It has all the makings of the ultimate media circus, but the issues at stake could scarcely be more critical.