The report is out. The House Select Committee has determined that “the central cause of January 6 was one man, former President Donald Trump. None of the events of January 6 would have happened without him.”

Well, doh. Everyone — everyone —  knows that. None of it would have happened without Joe Biden, either. Or Nancy Pelosi. Or television news, or national elections, or a lot of other things. There’s a difference between a necessary condition — “it couldn’t have happened without him” — and a sufficient condition — in this case (roughly), “his flaws made it happen.”t

This isn’t nit-picking, and it isn’t playing logic games, either. The difference matters. That is, it matters if you care about truth, about equity, about justice. But it didn’t matter to the J6 Committee, apparently, and it certainly doesn’t matter to the media reporting on it.

Trump’s team said the committee had failed to consider other possible factors. Well, he’s right. Everyone scoffs at claims of votes being sent out for laundering in South America. Sure, some of those theories were wrong, some of them downright silly. There’s a reason they arose, though, and it’s not because Trump lost, and it’s certainly not because he talked millions of people into thinking he’d been done dirty. He didn’t do that; he didn’t have to do it. The election smelled dirty from the moment Georgia put a pause on counting votes that night. 

Strange, But Boring

And Joe Biden’s victory was strange. It’s strange that he outdid Barack Obama’s numbers. It’s strange he did it from a basement hiding place. Strange that it happened when Trump had built excitement and momentum everywhere he traveled.

Everyone — everyone! — could see that. I’ll guarantee you the news media saw it.

Everyone — everyone! knew that election standards loosened for COVID-19 could easily invite fraudulent voting. Something fishy was going on there, half the nation knew it, and the other half probably did, too, but wouldn’t admit it. Everyone — eFawnsveryone! — had reason to wonder, at least. And now Dinesh D’Souza’s 2,000 Mules has given us significant, solid new evidence of ballot stuffing in major cities all over the country, in numbers large enough to flip the election results. And our wretched, gutless media said, “Oh, looky, looky, Joe Biden won.” As if there were no questions to ask. 

They’re still at it today. “Oh, looky, looky, House Democrats think Donald Trump is a bad guy.” As if there were no questions to ask. The strange stuff keeps going on, and the media keep ignoring it. Apparently a one-sided kangaroo-court railroading of a former president is now too routine to call for investigation.

Gushing and Fawning When They Should Be Probing and Investigating

The Hill looked at the J6 Committee’s 845-page report and said, “By any standard, it is an impressive body of work.” Really? By any standard? How about the standard of partisanship? Nancy Pelosi disallowed House Republicans’ nominations for her “Select Committee.” CBS’s Scott MacFarland dismissed that as “The panel, largely boycotted by House Republicans … .”

Witnesses spoke without cross-examination. That includes Cassidy Hutchinson. News organizations take her word without question, much as they did with Christine Blasey Ford. Is there even the remotest possibility that Hutchinson might have an axe to grind? Nope! Not based on what the news tells you! No one testifying against Trump could even think of fudging the facts!

I’m not accusing Hutchinson of anything here. I’m accusing the media.

CNN brought The New York Times’ Haberman in to talk. She said the report revealed new details on how “frustrated” the National Guard was, “waiting to be deployed.” No mention of Nancy Pelosi’s strict refusal to follow White House advice and beef up security before the event. Was that not even a little bit interesting, in that same context of Capitol security?

Cowardly and Biased

NBC News Thursday night closed by saying Trump had criticized the report as a partisan, and the committee as a “kangaroo court.” News organizations have to give the other side a chance, or else they’re biased, right? Well, that was the chance they gave Trump, and it came across as, “Okay, he’s wrong, but we do have to let him say it.” Except he wasn’t wrong. The verdict was in before any witnesses were called, and Trump’s side got no representation. It’s the very definition of a kangaroo court.

Why aren’t mainstream journalists more curious? Why are they so quick to dismiss anything conservative, anything in support of Republicans, anything that could potentially turn out in favor of Donald Trump? Is there some reason they won’t dig for facts? Isn’t that supposed to be their job?

The answer seems obvious. Either they’re (a) cowards, or (b) in the Democrats’ hip pocket. Or — ding-ding, correct answer! — (c) both of the above.

I could have added a fourth option, “They’re committed to being predictable, preachy, and boring.” It’s true, but it’s too cute. “Cute” might be okay if they were harmless, but they aren’t, so it isn’t.

Who’s Damaging Democracy Now?

The J6 Committee was partisan. Its report is partisan. Its legal recommendations come out of a process that would be illegal in every state, county, city, or even township in the land. Even if (hah!) everything in its report were true, the process that produced it was so seriously wrong, so obviously wrong that everyone — everyone!  — could see it was wrong.

Did Trump do damage to our democracy? Did his supporters aid and abet him in it? Opinions vary, but this committee’s 845-page report says yes. Did the J6 Committee’s blatantly unjust partisanship do damage to our democracy? Have the mainstream media aided and abetted them in it? Yes to both, and it doesn’t take 845 pages to prove it. Just watch the news.

Tom Gilson (@TomGilsonAuthor) is a senior editor with The Stream and the author or editor of six books, including the highly acclaimed Too Good To Be False: How Jesus’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality.