An article in Salon (here) sums up what we’ve learned from the Jan. 6 hearings:
“In the public hearings so far, the House Select Committee on January 6 has marshaled facts in fastidious detail showing that former President Trump’s attempted coup was plotted and organized by the president himself with the help of his chosen accomplices and enabled by Cabinet members, aides and staffers who knew it was wrong but said nothing.
“The first four hearings made it clear that Trump and his henchmen knew the election had not been stolen and yet they insisted to his followers that it had been. They launched spurious lawsuits, pressured election officials, tried to corrupt the Department of Justice and strong-armed Vice President Mike Pence all in an attempt to overturn the election.
“But we hadn’t heard any direct testimony — until yesterday — that Trump was aware in advance that Jan. 6 could turn violent but incited the mob anyway. Now we know that he even knew that day that many in the crowd were armed. Thanks to Cassidy Hutchinson.”
In the aftermath of Hutchison’s testimony, Trump and his enablers predictably are calling her a liar, and liberal pundits are speculating whether this is the end of Trump (many think so); I’m not so sure.
More than 800 participants in the violent attack on Congress on Jan. 26, 2021, are being or have been prosecuted, mostly for minor crimes like trespassing although a few are facing serious prison time. So far, criminal consequences haven’t reached the coup leaders, but the lawyers — Guiliani, Eastman, and their ilk — may be next in line.
What about the smaller players, like the GOP congressman who led an advance team of insurrectionists through the Capitol complex so they could draw maps, and the bit players like the 100-plus GOP congressmen who voted against an orderly and peaceful transition of power? I’ll guess most will be left to the judgment of history. (It ought to be a harsh judgment.)
Make no mistake, Trump and his inner circle tried to overthrow our government, and came far closer than any communist conspiracy ever did. It’s ironic that Republicans, who for decades claimed to defend America from sedition, became America’s most dangerous and nearly successful seditionists.
Even caught red-handed, they’re unrepentant. It’s not even clear they’ll steer clear of Trump when they cast about for a 2024 nominee. It’s also unclear whether the principal actors will be prosecuted, and it’s not a sure thing that impartial juries can be found to try them. A very large chunk of the Republican grassroots is still in thrall to America’s biggest con job of all time.
This isn’t a party you can vote for. Inflation, the economy, gas prices, etc., must take a back seat until the GOP straightens itself out or is replaced by a different party. If you want to live in a free country, you can’t vote for people trying to take away your freedom. This time you have to overlook all the Democrats’ flaws and vote “no” to sedition, overthrow, and dictatorship.