Thirty-five Republicans in the U.S. Senate voted against creating a non-partisan commission to examine the causes and activities of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. But that doesn’t mean that we, the people, will never know the truth.

The FBI is investigating and charging those who were involved in assault on the Capitol and the Capitol police. Congressional committees, controlled by Democrats, are going to hold hearings, which Republicans will be free to criticize. These forums should be able to discern, especially given the ample social media evidence that exists, who did what and what motivated them.

In fact, the criminal trials are already producing more information as defendants and their attorneys start to present their defense.

The Associated Press reported last week that some of those charged with participating in the violent attempt to stop Congress from accepting the results of the presidential election are claiming that they were misled by the false claims that the election had been stolen from President Donald Trump, that they believed the misinformation being expounded by Trump and his allies. Repeated exposure to the falsehoods, the “Big Lie,” overwhelmed their ability to make reasoned decisions.

It’s a defense that is not likely to succeed in court. But it does offer a look at what motivated these people.

Sadly, those lies are still being spread about, still be amplified in social media, and still motivating people to make terrible decisions.