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| Liz Cheney at the hearings last Thursday (USA Today) |
We were also ‘treated’ to the sight – and testimony - of one victim of the bloody violence she experienced that day at the hands of those insurrectionists.
Also presented was also ample testimony by members of Trump’s inner circle as well as his own family that there was no fraud significant enough to change the election results.
There were clips of the President egging on the crowd to be strong and march on to the Capital. Calling them all good people. There was also a video of a hangman’s noose with people shouting “Hang Pence’ (Trumps Vice President) for doing his job in certifying the results of the election that day. To which Trump responded that he thought that maybe they had the right idea. (Obviously he didn’t mean it literally.)
My take on all this is that I learned nothing I didn’t already know. Which is that the insurrection was planned by 2 extremist groups. That vast majority of the crowd that day had no intention of breaking into the Capital. True some of the other attendees that followed those extremist groups into the Capital also broke the law - but were just caught up in the moment.
Most importantly, however, there was no evidence what-so-ever that Trump was involved with planning the insurrection, and had no foreknowledge of it. In fact there is evidence to the contrary which was not presented last Thursday night. Trump told the protesters that they should march down to the Capital peacefully and nonviolently.
The facts nonetheless are that Trump convinced almost all of his supporters that the election was stolen even though in reality it wasn’t. Most of the people attending that day believe him to this day and were there exercising their constitutional right to protest (but obviously not to violate the law and break in to the Capital.)
As far as I can see none of what Trump said or did with respect to January 6th was illegal. That some of his followers were extremists and took it upon themselves to ‘rectify the fraudulent results of the election’ with violent insurrection was not Trump’s intent. I am not a lawyer but I see no criminal indictment of the former President on the basis of what happened that day.
That being said, I do not absolve Trump of responsibility. In fact he is entirely responsible for that day in the sense of perpetuating the claim that the election was stolen and that he should retain his office or at the very least re-do the election. Thereby motivating those extremists to do what they did.
That he instigated what happened that day is not in any doubt as far as I am concerned. That is as clear to me as day. From day one after the election (and even before) until this very day, his claim has been repeated over and over again to the cheers of almost all the people that supported him. Sadly that included the extremist factions of ‘Proud Boys’ and ‘Oath Keepers’ who took matters into their own hands.
The Select Committee has not really ‘moved the needle – with respect to incriminating Trump himself. But you wouldn’t know that from the way they presented their case. Although they did not say so outright, they suggested by their rhetoric and body language that Trump was behind the whole thing and perhaps should be tried for treason himself.
They have not, however, convinced me of that. They have a long way to go before they prove Trump was directly responsible for the insurrection. I don’t think they will ever meet that burden of proof.
Members of the committee say their investigation is all about fact finding and letting the facts lead where they may. But they have already made up their minds about Trump’s guilt. And they are determined to convince the public of that. Whether they will succeed at changing anybody’s mind is unclear. What is clear is that they have galvanized the huge number of Trump supporters to support him now more than ever. And they will surely get out the vote in the upcoming midterm elections.
And then there is this. The committee is composed entirely of Democrats with 2 Republicans that have become as anti Trump as Democrats. Not that I blame them. Nonetheless, the way the committee is constructed takes away from their credibility as honest evaluators. Making them appear like politicians out to prevent another Trump run for the Presidency in 2024. I suspect that there might be some truth to that. It does not help their cause that were no real opposition members are on that committee.
As far as I am concerned there should be. That Republicans ultimately rejected that opportunity makes this their own fault. On the other hand that Democrats refused to accept the overtly pro Trump Republicans suggested by the Republican leadership - makes them partially responsible, too. That said, Republicans should have compromised and suggested other Republicans that could fill those seats. As it stands now the anti Trump bias on the part of that committee is dripping – despite protestations to the contrary.
I do think, however, that any voter with an ounce of conscience ought to stop supporting him no - matter how much they liked his policies. I liked them too. As did Representative Liz Cheney. She is a good example of that. To the best of my knowledge she supported almost all (if not all) of Trump’s policies. But January 6th made her realize just how dangerous this man is to our democracy. I think she might be right.
One more thing. I would vote for Liz Cheney for President in a heartbeat. I like her politics and her integrity. Unfortunately she will probably not even be re-elected to her current House seat in Pro Trump Wyoming.