Monday's second in a series of congressional hearings centered on former US President Donald Trump and his closest aides' efforts to overthrow the 2020 election.

Former US Attorney General Bill Barr described Trump as "detached from reality," while some former close aides and government officials lauded his accomplishments.

Monday's hearing mainly focused on Trump's refusal to listen to and subsequent marginalization of aides who correctly advised him that the 2020 election was lost and Joe Biden had won.

In addition to Barr, several of his closest associates, including Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, son-in-law and top assistant Jared Kushner, and Justice Department official Richard Donoghue, testified before the January 6 Committee.

They all described Trump as unwilling to acknowledge the loss and clinging to implausible success beliefs. Each witness told parallel efforts directed by former New York City mayor and US attorney Rudy Giuliani to promote voter fraud conspiracy theories.

What did the witnesses of the January 6 Committee say?

In a videotaped deposition played by the January 6 Committee investigating the Capitol incident, Stepien characterized Trump as "growing increasingly unhappy" on election night. Stepien was slated to appear but withdrew at the last minute due to his wife going into childbirth.

In a separate videotaped deposition shown by the committee, Kushner stated that he attempted to guide his father-in-law away from Rudy Giuliani and the increasingly ludicrous conspiracy theories revolving around Giuliani's false charges of voter fraud.

Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican and the daughter of the former vice president, portrayed Giuliani as "apparently inebriated" on election night when he encouraged Trump to declare victory prematurely in her introduction on Monday. This description was offered by Stepien, Kushner, and Jason Miller, a prominent Trump advisor.

In his filmed appearance to the committee, Miller stated, "The mayor was intoxicated, but I, um, did not know his level of intoxication when he spoke with the president, for example."

Former Justice Department officer Donoghue stated that he dismissed as a "suspicious suitcase" various allegations of electoral fraud made by Rudy Giuliani and others, ranging from a truck full of votes in Pennsylvania to a "false." of ballots in Georgia.

At one point, Barr was extremely forthright, joking at a false assertion peddled by Trump's allies as "bogus" and "idiotic."

Barr stated there was never any hint of interest in the facts. He continued, "I didn't want to be a part of it."

Barr resigned on December 14, 2020, roughly six weeks after election day, due to Trump's efforts to invalidate the result.

What else did the hearing on Monday reveal?

After Trump's seeming defeat, the January 6 committee reported the massive fundraising campaign to collect funds to overturn the election.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, a Democrat, remarked that Trump raised $250 million (€240 million) as part of his effort to continue resisting the reality of his loss; she referred to this as "the big rip-off."

Both Stepien and Miller reported how rapidly the attitude at the White House changed after Fox News was the first to predict Arizona for Joe Biden.

Trump declared victory despite Stepien's recommendation "to say that votes were still being counted, it's too early to tell, too early to call the race," Trump later claimed the election was stolen after the outcome proved his earlier claims incorrect.

Stepien referred to his efforts and those who conveyed similar signals to Trump as "team normal."

Chris Stirewalt, a former political editor for Fox News Channel who predicted Arizona for Biden on election night, testified in person. BJay Pak, the former US attorney in Atlanta, testified that he resigned rather than be fired when Georgia state officials were pressured to discover votes for Trump that did not exist.

Benjamin Ginsberg, a prominent Republican election attorney, highlighted typical election campaign problems, and Al Schmidt, a former Philadelphia city commissioner, was also there.

What is the January 6 committee investigating?

The House committee is investigating what has become known as "the big lie," namely Trump's and his followers' assertions that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Trump's unfounded voter fraud charges incited his supporters and spurred an attempted uprising on Capitol Hill in the form of a violent riot. In the days and weeks that followed the revolt, nine people perished, including seven law enforcement officers who committed suicide.

The Capitol riot occurred on January 6, 2021, when Congress and Vice President Mike Pence certified the 2020 election. In an earlier session, the first of which was held last week, the disturbance was referred to as an attempted coup.

Trump accused Pence of betraying him by refusing to reverse or delay the certification, and Trump fans who engaged in the violence that day screamed, "Hang Mike Pence!"

Outside the Capitol, a noose and gallows were built on the National Mall.

Since 1812, the Capitol riot was the most violent attack on the US Capitol. Nearly 850 riot participants have been charged with criminal offenses for their acts on that day.

How has Trump responded to the committee?

Trump has disbanded the January 6 committee and is using it to continue fundraising for a possible presidential candidacy in 2024.

No past president or vice president of the United States has ever been charged with a crime.

Merrick Garland, the attorney general of the United States, has not stated if he will establish a precedent in this case.

Benjamin Wittes, the editor of the Lawfare blog, stated in a Twitter chat that indictments emerging from the committee's hearings are highly improbable and that the Justice Department has significantly more investigative authority than Congress.