Jan. 6 committee strategy: Single out Trump

As the Jan. 6 committee prepares for its next hearing, a clear theme is emerging: Former President Donald Trump is singularly responsible for fomenting the attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

Drawing largely on interviews with half a dozen people from Mr. Trump’s inner circle, the hearings so far have portrayed him as a leader who ignored his top advisers’ advice and misled his followers in a bid to overturn a free and fair election and prevent an orderly transfer of power. 

The strategy of making the former president the focal point deflects attention away from the responsibility borne by campaign advisers, social media companies, and Trump supporters themselves for the buildup of anger that erupted in a Capitol riot. That suggests the committee may be trying to give Mr. Trump’s allies a face-saving way to come out against him in greater numbers. Whether that effort