WASHINGTON—The Epoch Times on Jan. 9 hosted a screening of its new exclusive documentary about Jan. 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol.
The documentary, “The Real Story of Jan. 6 Part 2: The Long Road Home” was released on the three-year anniversary of the “Stop the Steal” rally and is available online now for The Epoch Times subscribers.
The documentary is the long-awaited sequel to “The Real Story of Jan. 6,” The Epoch Times’ most popular documentary. The documentary was made publicly available on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Jan. 4 and has been viewed by over 13.6 million people since then.
Both the original documentary and the sequel are researched and narrated by The Epoch Times’ senior investigative journalist Joe Hanneman.
While the original documentary explored the events of Jan. 6 itself—including mysterious and unpunished deaths, misconduct by U.S. Capitol Police, and the possibility of law enforcement actors agitating events that day—the sequel explores how the aftershocks of Jan. 6 have changed America.
Over 1,250 people have been arrested since Jan. 6 in connection with the events of that day. The methods used to bring these suspects in have drawn widespread criticism, including from agency whistleblowers who say they faced swift retribution for speaking out.
Families caught in the vast Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutorial net have faced loss of income, ostracism from their communities, separation from spouses and children, and detention conditions that one lawmaker deemed “nothing short of human rights violations.”
These and other issues are explored in the documentary.
The screening, hosted by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), was open to the public and lawmakers alike.
Mr. Johnson was the only member of the upper chamber present at the event. Staffers for Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) also attended the screening.
In his opening remarks before the screening, Mr. Johnson extolled the documentary, saying that it would help combat the false narratives about Jan. 6 pushed after Democrats took full control of the federal government in 2021.
“We haven’t even begun to be told the full story, which means the truth about January 6,” Mr. Johnson said.
“They always say ‘To the victor, go the spoils.’ The victor writes the history. And unfortunately, in November 2020, Democrats had the full suite. They’re the ones that had power, and they wrote the history of January 6.
“But there are so many questions that haven’t even been asked, much less answered, to get the full story—to get the full truth,” Mr. Johnson added.
“There’s just so many unanswered questions. I just have to thank Epoch Times for being those journalists that are utilizing our First Amendment rights to freedom of the press, freedom of speech, being the honest broker in terms of trying to expose and tell the American people the truth.
“And all I could ask of anybody here in the audience or listening in a later video tape is please try and find out what the truth is, discern it. Look up sites like Epoch Times, subscribe.”
Following the screening of the documentary, “American Thought Leaders” host Jan Jekielek led a panel of experts and commentators on the event.
These included William Shipley, a 21-year DOJ prosecutor turned defense attorney, national security expert and former national intelligence strategist Tom Speciale, Heritage Institute Oversight Project Director Mike Howell, and Sarah McAbee, the wife of a Jan. 6 detainee who’s been separated from her husband for years in the wake of his arrest.
Mr. Hanneman also joined the panel.
After the event, spectators praised the documentary, telling The Epoch Times that it would help shed light on a story tainted by political narratives for too long.
From The Epoch Times
