Which Side Are You On?
On January 6, 2021, Fox News host Laura Ingram texted Mark Meadows, Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff. Ingram begged, “Mark, the president needs to tell people in the Capitol to go home. This is hurting all of us. He is destroying his legacy.â€Â
Everyone in the White House and on Fox News knew who was responsible for the assault on American Democracy: Donald J. Trump. Donald’s rioters beat a police officer with an American flag. They injured 138 others.
The trauma of the assault drove 4 Capitol Police to die by suicide. The violence was real.
Donald Trump fueled this mob. Since November, Donald and his team had sowed the seeds of anger. They had lost in the court of law and turned to a mob.
Donald’s mob was part of a larger plan. John Eastman, a Conservative lawyer and part of Trump’s legal team drafted a memo to Vice President Mike Pence. It detailed what Pence needed to do on January 6.
Eastman wanted Pence to trash the Electoral votes of several states: Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada. The States had the right, under the Constitution, to send these votes to Congress. Each state defended successfully their votes in Federal Courts.
Eastman gave Pence a blue print to ignore their votes. If Pence, acting as dictator, threw away these votes, Donald Trump would have the majority of Electoral votes.
Donald Trump sent the mob to threaten Congress. Donald instructed them to “Stop the Steal.†Contrary to the facts and the Constitution, the election loser convinced the mob that Congress was stealing the election.
The mob broke into the Capitol to “Stop the Steal.†The mob, as instructed, intended to disrupt the law and order of the United States of America. Watching safely in the White House, Donald Trump refused to defend the United States of America despite the pleas.
Only a handful of Republicans didn’t play along. Their role was critical, however. As we see right now, Democrats need Republican help to govern. If they had also betrayed their constitutional oaths, our Democracy would have vanished on January 6.
At every level a few Republicans put country above party. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger refused to fabricate election results. The United States Supreme Court rejected the lies. Vice President Mike Pence maintained his integrity.
Big questions remain. Why are so many Republicans politicians defending the lie? Why are they threatening American democracy? Which side are you on?
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.