One year ago, U.S. Democracy was violently attacked as hordes of so-called patriots stormed the Capitol building in Washington D.C. The FBI has diligently pursued those who participated in the darkest day of former President Trump’s presidency. So far, 738 for their part in the Jan. 6th insurrection have been charged, but the organizers — Trump, his advisors, and allies — have not been held accountable for their role in the deadly and horrific attack.
Even before Trump’s descent down the elevator to make his grand announcement of his 2018 presidential candidacy, his rhetoric about election fraud was rampant. He told the world that the only way he would lose was if the election was rigged during that campaign. His lies about the extent of election fraud continued to be one of his major talking points, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic made it clear there would need to be changes made in the methods American voters could use to cast their ballots for the 2020 elections.
Trump’s followers were primed for the insurrection before he lost the election. Moreover, rumors of an uprising on Jan. 6, 2020, started months before the former president lost the election to Joe Biden. However, no one, not even the military or Capitol police, seemed to believe an insurrection would occur. Some journalists were called Russian propagandists after publishing warnings about the threats promising to interfere with the certification of the electoral votes made by right-wing extremists.
One key piece of evidence brought in the former president’s second impeachment was his tweets on that horrific day. The Democrats used Trump’s own words to argue that he showed no remorse after the attack. After hours of watching the masses invade the Capitol building, he finally agreed to every “very special” person taking part in the insurrection to go home peacefully.
But first, he reminds them that the election was “unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long.” Then he seemed to remember the point of the message and added: “Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!” he said.
It was not until January 10 that Trump ordered the flags lowered to half-mast in honor of the United States Capitol Police, who died during the insurrection. The former president continues to show no remorse for the deaths, threats against Congress members, and the chaos that ensued from a four-word lie, “the election was stolen.”
President Joe Biden posted this tweet explaining what he calls the truth behind the Jan. 6th insurrection:
The former president of the United States has created a web of lies about the 2020 election. He’s done so because he values power over principle. Because his bruised ego matters to him more than our democracy.
Congress convened a panel to investigate the insurrection, and they are working hard to uncover the truth when they do not have to file contempt charges against key players who refuse to testify. They have gathered enough testimony and evidence to see Trump’s involvement in the insurrection’s planning.
Insurrection Discussion on Twitter
Ben Walling:
If we are unable to bring people to account for this, it marks the end of this country. I’m not being melodramatic here. We’re unable to and unwilling to defend the core fundamentals of this country from attack.
Just another Mama: This feels like it should be a comedy starring Leslie Nielson or something.
Vince Lewis: Conspiracy to commit a felony. Conspiracies do not have to succeed to be illegal.
Willie Ross Jr. Knee Deep: If Trump isn’t prosecuted for his actions to overthrow our government, I don’t wanna ever hear anyone saying, “No One Is Above The Law.”
OnTheRoad: The saying should be “the law is meaningless if you’re wealthy”. Wealth may not buy happiness, but it can certainly buy politicians and lawyers.
Chuck Schumer: Make no mistake: This week, @SenateDems will make clear what happened on January 6th is directly linked to the one-sided, partisan actions being taken by GOP-led state legislatures across the country. We can and must take strong action to stop this anti-democratic march.
Vice President Kamala Harris:
On January 6, we saw what our nation would look like if the forces who seek to dismantle our democracy are successful — we cannot let out future be decided by those bent on silencing our voices.
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
CNN: Biden’s January 6 speech to focus on Trump’s ‘singular responsibility’ in the insurrection; by Maegan Vazquez and Clare Foran
USA Today: A minute-by-minute timeline of Trump’s day as the Capitol siege unfolded on Jan. 6; by Courtney Subramanian
Politico: Bernard Kerik provides batch of documents to Jan. 6 select committee; by Nicholas Wu and Kyle Cheney
Independent: Donald Trump calls off Jan 6 anniversary speech in Mar-a-Lago after Sean Hannity texts revealed; David Taintor and John Bowden
Images Courtesy of Blink O’fanaye’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
