Rerun season. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)AP

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Washington D.C. lawmakers surely must have better things to do than rehash the Jan. 6 incursion of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.

But apparently not, as Democrats and Republicans have hit the lights on televised congressional hearings on the Jan. 6 breach.

We were supposed to be blown away to hear that that Attorney General William Barr told Trump that the president’s claims of election fraud were “bull---.”

We were meant to gasp when we heard that the president’s daughter and trusted advisor, Ivanka Trump, said that she accepted Barr’s assessment.

Time magazine called those among the “most explosive revelations” to come out of day one of the hearings.

One legal eagle told Time that those comments could bolster charges of “corrupt intent” or “fraudulent intent” against Trump.

Wow. Maybe they’ll impeach him again.

But none of that speaks to the core of the supposed case against Trump, that the president planned and directed an insurrection aimed at bringing down American democracy.

Remember, President Joe Biden called Jan. 6 “the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War.” That’s the bar that the Jan. 6 committee members have to clear.

If Trump truly believed in law and order and the sanctity of the Supreme Court, he should have halted his election challenges once the high court ruled against him. He should have known better than to wind up his supporters.

That said, there’s nothing barring any losing candidate from casting aspersions on an election, be it Trump, Al Gore in 2000, Hillary Clinton in 2016 or Stacy Abrams after she lost the Georgia gubernatorial election in 2018.

In Watergate, we had proof that President Richard Nixon and his top aides planned and carried out a criminal conspiracy to hide the fact that the White House was involved in the burglary at Democratic headquarters.

In the end, Nixon’s own tape-recorded words condemned him and drove him from office.

A year and a half later, we’re still waiting for that kind of evidence here. The Dems couldn’t produce the smoking gun to prove Trump collusion with Russia. Maybe they’ll have better luck this time.

And by the way, Watergate investigators didn’t need Hollywood producers to pretty up their material, as the Jan. 6 committee members did.

The televised Watergate hearings were plenty absorbing without the type of slick video shown during the first day of the Jan. 6 hearings.

The video, containing violent Jan. 6 footage interspersed with Trump speeches and tweets, was also supposed to make us gasp.

But a selectively edited video isn’t evidence of insurrectionist plot. It’s an infomercial, something used to raise money or to be shown at a presidential nominating convention. Which I’m sure the Dems will do at theirs in 2024.

And, yes, Trump failed to call out the National Guard to defend the Capitol on Jan. 6.

But others charged with maintaining Capitol security, including Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, also failed to act to better secure the Capitol, including in the days leading up to Jan. 6.

And just imagine the narrative if Trump had sent soldiers marching toward the Capitol that day.

About 305 people have gone to court over their participation in Jan. 6, according to Axios. Of those, 246 have pled guilty to misdemeanors.

Three members of the far-right Oath Keepers have pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy. Which isn’t insurrection. Or rebellion.

This isn’t “downplaying” Jan. 6. It’s putting the day in perspective. Jan. 6 was a serious, dangerous event, but it wasn’t Fort Sumter.

Not that that will keep the Dems, and their Republican allies, from milking Jan. 6 for all it’s worth.

The Dems have nothing else to sell to voters amid record inflation, skyrocketing gas prices and rising crime. But they’d have us be consumed by Jan. 6.

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 5/1/2021).

© 2022 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.

Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.