The Institutionalist Anti-Populism of the January 6th Committee: A Commentary

Abstract

An assessment of the work of the January 6th committee investigating the assault on the U.S. Capitol in January 2021. The commentary addresses the committee’s work as an exercise in institutionalist anti-populism that seeks to disrupt the populist, Trumpist narrative by insisting on the rule of law, the power of expertise, and the value of norms in maintaining a liberal, democratic order. It offers an analysis of how the committee’s work might contribute to the demise of the Trumpist social movement, adding possible lines of analysis to the populist phenomenon going forward.