WASHINGTON – “This is my Super Bowl,” an off-camera news anchor said during a public hearing by the House of Representatives committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol. But what is a Super Bowl without stars or even fans, I thought. Former President Donald J. Trump and his family would certainly not appear in person. Neither Rudolf W. Giuliani, once his personal lawyer and former mayor of New York, nor anyone else who would be recognizable to anyone but a politician.
And unlike last month’s defamation lawsuit involving Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, Amber Heard – in which public passion for celebrity gossip was unmistakable – ardent followers didn’t seem to be ordered to applaud or protest.
Outside the building, Washington seemed indifferent. Masses of color-coded students crowded from monument to monument, swaying in amazement and boredom.
Sweaty men in white collars, with jackets tucked at the elbows, walked between the meetings and Hyatt.
And an ice cream vendor fed hot tourists and hungry pigeons.
But inside the Capitol, television crews, reporters and photographers lay ready.
Journalists lingered in the halls of the Cannon House office building for hours sprinting, with their iPhones outstretched, following committee members.
Photographers aimed their lenses through cracks in the doors, hoping to capture a rare disorganized moment.
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, working on a segment of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, toured the Capitol rotunda, making crude jokes and impressing Mr. Trump. The doll (or rather his master Robert Smigel) was later arrested by Capitol police and charged with illegal entry.
Some members of the media seemed nostalgic for the turbulent days of the Trump administration. Adhering to the script character of President Biden’s term did not provoke the same passions – or ratings.
“This is the biggest event we’ve had in a long time,” said the photographer.
The hearings themselves were organized in part by a veteran television executive hired to attract the attention of Americans, tired of two impeachment trials and countless banners for breaking news. But Fox News declined to show a prime-time hearing. (He later decided to broadcast the daily sessions, which does not contradict his leading opinion programs.)
Washington has had its share of political spectacles over the years, but it has been both compelling and a little disappointing. The people who always paid attention were absorbed in the reflection, but the other side just changed the channel.
Wandering outside the Capitol, I spotted a German tourist wearing Fred Perry’s famous black and yellow shirt, the Proud Boys uniform. Seemingly unaware of its symbolism, he smiled broadly for a photo of the Capitol in the background.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him.
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