No Love. No Tourists. No Patriots. No Hostages.
We Must Never Let Trump And Republicans Rewrite January 6th's History
Today marks the four-year anniversary of the January 6th insurrection at our nation's Capitol. It was, and remains, one of the most shameful, violent and darkest days America's ever witnessed.
It wasn’t, as Donald Trump claims, 'a day of love'. It wasn’t an exercise in free speech. There were no ‘tourists’. This day of carnage wasn’t committed by 'patriots'. It was a despicable act perpetrated by hundreds of rage-fueled, out-of-control Trump-incited supporters who violated too many laws to count and who were ultimately prosecuted and imprisoned for it.
They stormed the Capitol building, destroyed property, pissed and shit all over the place, occupied congressional offices and the chamber itself, and stole property.
For anyone still struggling with what actually did or didn’t happen that fateful day, there are hours of horrific video footage of police officers being mercilessly assaulted with Trump flags, sticks, bear spray and other weapons. There are chilling clips of cops screaming in agony. Footage which documents this brazen assault on our democracyl in gruesome detail.
Trump has repeatedly called these rioters "hostages" who must be freed from the ‘unjust punishment’ they've received. And he's made countless promises to pardon them immediately once he takes office later this month.
Such a pardon would be an unconscionably reprehensible act of not just supreme defiance but dereliction of duty by someone who has sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. It would also be a clear indication about how Trump and his administration intends to govern these next four years with respect to the rule of law.
An eventual Trump pardon of J6 rioters should not surprise or shock anyone. The truth is, a convicted-felon will be occupying the oval office and it'd be so on-brand for him to reward with freedom those who tried to overturn the election and overthrow the government on his behalf. Because loyalty is the only thing that matters to him.
But let’s be crystal fucking clear: January 6, 2021 was about breaking the law, assaulting cops, violating the Constitution, and subverting our democracy. And the tragic irony though is that there will be way too many law enforcement officers, active military, and veterans—Trump supporters—who will be celebrating this liberation of those who’ve violently attacked everything they supposedly stand for.