How the defense of Trump foretells a possible new GOP era of extremism

(CNN)There's a strong political case for Republicans to ignore Donald Trump halfway through a midterm primary season that's seen his influence over voters wane. But as the January 6 hearings hit prime time, the ex-President's thunderous demands for loyalty and the hunger for power of his acolytes in the House mean that's not an option.

Trump's demand for, and the GOP's willingness to offer, a robust defense into what are expected to be damaging details of his complicity in a coup attempt are deeply revealing about his future political intentions and the former President's control over his party. The evolving plan to hit back against the committee on behalf of Trump also exposes the hypocrisy and the ambition of key House Republican leaders who whitewash Trump's role in the history of the January 6, 2021, insurrection to advance their own careers.

It offers a foreboding reality check 17 months after the Capitol insurrection about how the House Republican conference has chosen the promise of future political advancement over the protection of American democracy.

The plan for pro-Trump lawmakers to blitz the media in order to push back at the House select committee's findings comes ahead of the panel's first live televised prime-time hearing on Thursday and was revealed in a new CNN report on Sunday.

The committee is expected to mount a devastating case about Trump's behavior as he tried to steal the 2020 election in the run-up to and during the January 6 assault on the Capitol, which he incited and didn't act to stop as lawmakers ran for their lives.

There are potential pitfalls for Republicans who stand with Trump as the lurid tale of violence, lies and autocratic power grabs is told again for the American people and for the benefit of history. The evidence could be so damning that those who seek to discredit the hearings will find themselves defending the indefensible -- a dark moment of the American story that is so heinous it will live in infamy.

There are also sound electoral reasons to pass. It's not a given that the hearings will achieve their apparent purpose and engage Americans so far after the event. After all, after four years of tumult that ended in a political cataclysm, it's hard to imagine there are many voters who haven't made up their minds on Trump.

Engaging and turning the hearings into a partisan spectacle could only elevate them. And Republicans have a much clearer route to power five months before the midterm elections than yet again appeasing Trump's autocracy. They can simply blame President Joe Biden for the ills afflicting the country, given the disastrous political environment for Democrats as gasoline prices hit record highs and the cost of living soars.

Anything that deflects from that goal seems unwise.

There's also a risk that standing with Trump will brand the GOP all over again with the stain of defending a strongman who tried to overthrow a democratic election. That vision repeatedly punished the party when Trump was in power. And defending him could remind critical suburban voters all over again of just how extreme their party has become.