President Joe Biden has remained silent on the public hearings conducted by the Jan. 6 Select Committee in a bid to dampen any narrative the panel investigating his predecessor is politically motivated.
Rarely has Biden commented on the explosive findings of the panel, and, in some cases, he’s found himself preoccupied with foreign or domestic trips during these public hearings.
Biden’s silence is most likely a strategic attempt by the White House to limit any politizing of the investigation and subsequent hearings as they continue to stress that the panel is conducting an independent investigation.
In a statement first reporters by The Hill, Doug Jones, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination guide, revealed that the White House was creating a clear separation between the President and the Jan. 6 investigation. This effort would ensure Biden was not lending credence to the GOP’s assertions that the panel’s investigation is a partisan exercise.
Expressing his beliefs on the issue, Jones stated: “If the President was to weigh in in any way, it would just kind of add a little fuel to the fire from the other side, and it’s not necessary.
But Jones also raised another pressing issue preventing Biden from commenting: a potential criminal investigation or charges.
“I know that the president believes very strongly that he should not weigh in and express opinions about possible criminal violations,” Jones is reported as saying.
Regardless of the perceived distance, Jones noted that West Wing aides are keeping a close eye on the hearings, especially those relating to the deletion of Secret Service text messages that have now become the subject of a criminal inquiry.
In the meantime, Biden’s stance on Jan. 6 remains unchanged. He “believes that it was a very dark day,” according to statements by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
