Blockbuster hearing accuses Trump of leading the coup but were Americans listening?

ITV News Correspondent Robert Moore rounds up what the hearing heard - and the conclusions they've come to

This is being called the most significant Congressional hearing in US political history. It is certainly the best chance to persuade Americans that January 6 was a coup attempt orchestrated by Donald Trump.

The aim is to shock America out of its complacency about that day, and to persuade Trump's potential voters that the former president can never again be trusted with power.

But Republican leaders denounced it as a witch-hunt. Trump dismissed the hearing as the work of political thugs.

The US is now looking at how the hearing will impact the mid-term elections ITV News Correspondent Robert Moore reports

Such reaction is compelling evidence that America is as deeply divided today as it was 17 months ago.

New evidence was presented showing harrowing video of the attack on the Capitol and the chaos that engulfed the seat of American democracy.

A pro-Trump advert claims the hearing is a 'partisan witch-hunt'

We also heard for the first time from the former Attorney General Bill Barr. He told Trump bluntly before January 6th that the 2020 election was not stolen. Ivanka Trump said she also knew that the election was legitimate.

The point the Committee was making with the release of this evidence was clear: Trump knew he had lost the election and he was simply trying to seize power and shred the constitution.

The big question about this prime time TV spectacle is whether Americans were watching and willing to absorb new information.

Watch Robert Moore's report from Washington DC on January 6 in full here

Republicans are betting their party's future on the fact that their supporters don't care about January 6th anymore and that voters are more worried about inflation, immigration, and food and petrol prices.

Ultimately, whether this hearing achieved its aim will not be determined today, or next week, or even next year.

It all depends on whether Trump's spell over the Republican Party now begins to fade, and we won't know that until the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...