This article was originally published in The New Republic.

In June, Meet the Press host Chuck Todd pressed House January 6 select committee member Representative Jamie Raskin on his “barometer of success” for the summer hearings. “Is just getting an historical record enough?” Todd asked. “Or does there need to be some justice somewhere?” “Yes, there needs to be accountability,” Raskin responded, including “criminal accountability.” Though the committee’s ultimate project, he went on to say, was “telling the truth to the people so we can … fortify democratic institutions going forward.”

The committee will close its doors in the new year, and so far, not a single senior official has been indicted for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Nor, as some polls suggest, has truth-telling seemed to have moved many minds. On fortifying institutions: The committee will make its recommendations in a final report, though it is hard to imagine many coming to fruition, at least any time soon. So, then, was the exercise worthwhile? And are those the right metrics to say so?

Read the full article on The New Republic.