"I can remember my breath catching in my throat because what I saw there was a war scene," Caroline Edwards recalled. "Officers on the ground. They were bleeding, throwing up... I was slipping in people's blood."

Edwards is a police officer who guards Washington DC's Capitol, the home of the US CongressThe legislative branch of the American government, where elected representatives vote on which laws should be passed. Congress is made up of two chambers: the Senate, which contains two members from each of the 50 states, and the House of Representatives, which has representatives from 435 smaller districts. and the heart of American democracy. This was the location of the "war scene" she describes: an unprecedented violent incident in which right-wing militiasA militia is an informal armed group operating independently of the state.  marched on government buildings in support of former president Donald Trump. Edwards was left with a traumatic brain injuryAn injury that temporarily or permanently damages the functioning of the brain. This can affect everything from a person's ability to control their muscles to their ability to form memories and words., while several of her colleagues died.

These events took place on the now-infamous date of 6 January 2021. Now, a year and a half later, they are back on the front pages. Edwards's vivid account was just one of many dramatic testimonies in a set of congressional hearings. The blockbuster hearings began last Thursday and continue today, with many more to come.

The hearings are part of an investigation into the attacks, focusing particularly on the role played by Trump himself. Over 1,000 people have been interviewed and 125,000 documents reviewed, and the investigating committee say that the results are damning. "Donald Trump was at the centre of this conspiracy," claimed its chair, Representative Bernie Thompson.

The conspiracy that Thompson was referring to is the attempt by President Trump to remain in power following his election defeat to Joe Biden on 3 November 2020. Trump baselessly claimed that the election had been "stolen" and that he was the winner - a falsehood that he continues to repeat to this day.

Trump first attempted to have the election results overturned in courts, without success. Then he put pressure on officials to refuse to enforce the results of the democratic process. Finally, in the dying days of his presidency, he urged an armed crowd to march on Congress.

This much was already established before the investigation began. But the hearings have already produced some further dramatic revelations. 

One moment, in particular, made the audience gasp: Liz Cheney, a Congresswoman from Trump's own Republican Party, described the president's approving reaction to the attackers chanting about hanging his vice president, Mike Pence. "Maybe our supporters have the right idea," Trump reportedly said.

Trump's opponents claim he is the greatest threat that American democracy has ever faced: the only president ever to refuse to accept an election result. "Jan. 6 was the culmination of an attempted coupWhen an individual or group takes control of government by illegal means, including by violence.," Thompson said.

Yet even as he faces such allegations, Trump is thought to be preparing to announce another presidential run - perhaps as early as this summer. 

Trump still has very widespread support despite the serious abuses he is accused of. He is a strong favourite to win the Republican nominationIn American presidential elections, each political party has a process for choosing one person to submit to the voters. Candidates from the same party compete against one another in "primaries" and whoever wins this contest is expected to become the "nominee" (although the actual rules are a little more complicated than this). and currently leads President Biden in opinion polls.

Yes: Trump has shown beyond all doubt that he is a dangerous authoritarian with no regard for truth, civil liberties or the rule of law. American democracy just barely survived one term with him in power; it may not survive another.

No: This is a choice for the American people, not judges and politicians: only voters have a right to judge Trump's fitness for office. Banning him from politics would be the true assault on democracy.

Or... This is not just about one man. Authoritarian attitudes are on the rise all over the world and more fundamental solutions are urgently needed for democracy to prevail.