The legislators involved in J6 need to be held responsible
The only way to protect the institution of democracy is to show that a coup is not supported, not ignored, and in fact prosecuted if crimes were committed.
The J6 coup attempt is not over. It’s very much active and being carried out by powerful people.
The minions of J6 have largely been caught, and many (almost 1,000) have been convicted of crimes. This is hugely beneficial to our society. It has probably saved us from a lot of violence in the last 3 years.
Trump has called for an uprising and specifically asked for violence multiple times (in his stochastic terrorist back-handed way). He very much wants another armed violent event made in his name. But that has not happened. I believe it’s specifically because of holding the J6 rioters responsible. Trump did not show up with lawyers for them. He has not saved them. People are now thinking twice before sacrificing their freedom in service of their leader.
The continued prosecution of J6 rioters has protected us as citizens from further violence. It’s been a sign to all that a violent coup is not tolerated in a democracy.
And our many attempts to prosecute Trump are a good sign that we are trying to save this country and preserve the rule of law. Time will tell if we are successful with him.
But… But… the coup continues.
There were legislators involved in J6 who participated in meetings and phone calls to attempt to overturn a valid election, and some who gave tours in the Capitol on Jan 5th. They continue to block legislation and protect their fellow insurrectionists. They watch the Supreme Court fall to corruption and implicitly approve it by not doing their job to pursue and stop the crimes.
In addition, the Republican leadership has supported this coup by not removing Trump as their candidate. In fact they’ve fully cheered him and seem to be prepared to enter into a dictatorship in hopes of finding their own power and money.
The Republican leaders are participating in this coup by obeying and supporting Trump, in spite of being fully aware of the damage to this country and to our democracy.
And so we have probably saved some violence by prosecuting the J6 rioters, and have kept many people safe from further violence in the streets and at government buildings.
But we haven’t saved democracy from the coup. We haven’t even saved the idea of democracy. Trump is out here talking about a dictatorship openly. We haven’t attempted to prosecute those directly involved in planning J6 who hold positions in that same Capitol building. The idea of democracy in this country is now openly on the chopping block, and we are doing nothing about it.
The entire Republican Party, especially their leadership, has given full-throated support to the idea of an authoritarian government, by not condemning any of the fascist language Trump uses, and by supporting him as their lead candidate. They could choose to pull their support as a party, but decided long ago to ride his train to wherever it’s going, just in case there’s power or money along the way for them.
We could go after those legislators who were involved. We could publicly remove them from office and prohibit them from running again. We could prosecute them if crimes were committed.
But of course we are doing none of that. Republicans control the House and they have made it clear they are fully supporting Trump and will do what he asks. They certainly aren’t going to investigate themselves. They want J6 treated as a “peaceful demonstration” and those in prison referred to as “hostages”. They want Biden impeached because their leader tells them to do it.
That leaves Merrick Garland and the DOJ. We don’t know if they are pursuing any prosecutions of Congress members. But it’s been 3 years, and we haven’t heard a peep.
So what can we do? How do we save democracy?
We have our vote. It’s the only thing we really have now. Even the judicial system is suspect with so many judges apparently taking bribes, right up to the Supreme Court.
But our vote is still worth something. Trump tried (with over 60 lawsuits) to show the voting system is rigged, and failed. Our vote is still relatively safe (voter suppression and gerrymandering notwithstanding).
Our vote can get us more heavily Democratic state houses and senates, and most significantly a federal trifecta of the House, Senate and Presidency, all Blue.
From there, we must investigate, remove from office, and criminally prosecute each and every politician involved in J6. This is how we strengthen our democracy, by showing that coups are not tolerated in the US. This is vital to restoring faith in the country’s democratic institutions.
Well said! Three years later, the GOP is still enabling the destruction of freedoms and democracy. Accountability is essential for all those who participated. The GOP is unwilling, the judiciary held the line in 2020. Judge Luttig was just opining on the 50 year assault on the judiciary-by TFG. Abusing and delaying justice to further enrich himself while trying to destroy The Rule of Law. Our only recourse is by voting. Every election we must vote for candidates who support our laws, support those who enforce the law, and respect those who judge those who violate our laws. The Rule of Law is the anchor that protects our society. Anarchy and tyranny damage every element of society. Vote in all elections local, county, state and federal elections. Vote for those who are willing to abide by law and move our country forward. Unfortunately our two Party system is broken. One party is willing to legislate Democrats. One is not, The Grand Old Party has been hijacked . Vote accordingly💙💙💙. Thanks Maureen