Republicans are focused on why the Capitol was so badly protected on Jan. 6, which is a good question, and if Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s committee wants to be taken seriously, it should examine that in detail. But here’s what the No. 3 House Republican, Elise Stefanik, told the press before Tuesday’s hearing: “The American people deserve to know the truth: that Nancy Pelosi bears responsibility, as Speaker of the House, for the tragedy that occurred on Jan. 6.”

What kind of voter is this supposed to convince? Security oversights in the run-up to the riot are fair game, but it’s hardly credible to point to them alone, without acknowledging that President Trump urged his supporters to stop the supposed steal. On Jan. 6 some of them took his words seriously, literally, or both, and Mr. Trump dallied instead of rushing to Congress’s defense. The GOP would be better off ceding weak ground by admitting that the election wasn’t stolen and Mr. Trump was wrong.