Jan. 6 panel holds prime-time televised hearing in a bid to imprint the implications of this national nightmare

The House select committee on the Capitol insurrection has a duty far beyond investigating one of the most traumatic days in US history. Its wider mission is to expose and catalog an assault on democracy that is still going on.

The panel holds its first prime-time televised hearing Thursday in a bid to imprint the implications of this national nightmare -- when a mob incited by then-President Donald Trump tried to prevent the certification of 2020 election results -- on the minds of citizens.

It plans to show previously unseen video of testimony by former aides to Trump, campaign officials and members of Trump's family.

Committee aides said they will also roll video of the horrific scenes when pro-Trump rioters smashed their way into the Capitol building on January 6, 2021, beating up police officers and sending lawmakers running for safety.