Biden keeps his distance from Jan. 6 panel

President Biden has kept his distance from the explosive hearings led by the committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, wary of politicizing the issue as the panel lays out his predecessor’s role in triggering the riots.

Biden has barely commented on the panel’s findings and in some instances has been occupied by foreign or domestic trips when the committee has held public hearings. The effect has been a split-screen of sorts in Washington.

The White House wants to avoid politicizing what it has repeatedly stressed is an independent investigation into the events on Jan. 6, according to a source familiar with the White House’s thinking.