On Monday, December 19, 2022 the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol referred former president Donald J. Trump to the Justice Department for potential prosecution on four Federal crimes. These crimes are: 1. Obstruction of an official proceeding, 2. Conspiracy to defraud the United States, 3. Conspiracy to make a false statement, 4. Inciting, Assisting, and Aiding and Comforting an Insurrection. The Committee also suggested the Justice Department (with their greater power to compel witnesses) investigate Trump for seditious conspiracy.
The Committee’s report names other participants in Trump’s conspiracy, including Trump lawyer John Eastman, former DOJ attorney Jeffrey Clark, Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, and lawyers Kenneth Chesebro and Rudy Giuliani.
The Select Committee is also referring four Republican Representatives to the House Ethics Committee for refusing to cooperate with the investigation. These are House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Scott Perry (R-PA), and Andy Biggs (AZ). Sadly for America, these insurrection supporters (along with many others) were all recently re-elected to Congress.
Making Excuses
“Oh, but” I can hear someone say, “you cannot call Trump a criminal until and unless he is convicted in a court of law.” Really? I must respond. Was that true of Hillary Clinton? Is that true of Hunter Biden? Are we going to use the same standards for everyone?
“But the House Select Committee was politically motivated,” you say? Well, let’s consider that. Remember, the Republicans refused to have anything to do with the Committee (with two notable exceptions) and several of them ignored lawful subpoenas requiring them to testify before the Committee. Was their behavior “politically motivated?” It is true that the majority of the members of the Committee were Democrats, but that is simply how things work. The Democrats held the House majority at the time.
It is probably true that many of the Democrats on the Committee hoped to find damaging evidence of Trump’s complicity in the coup attempt. But a functioning democracy has procedures that counterbalance political motives and help lead to the truth. Just because Republicans politicize everything does not mean that Democrats do.
Go where the evidence leads
The key to overcoming political bias in an investigation is EVIDENCE. Evidence comes in the form of documents, calendars, timelines, meeting notes, phone calls, and the testimony of witnesses. Evidence in this case also came from audio, video, emails, and text messages through which the guilty parties literally provided recorded evidence against themselves.
If you watched the Committee hearings, you know that there is a LOT of evidence. Nearly all of it was provided by Republicans.
The members and staff of the January 6th Select Committee worked very hard to examine the evidence they had found before they decided to make the criminal referrals included in their final report. It is difficult for many Republicans to believe this because that is not how THEY operate.
What is to be done?
The Justice Department may or may not choose to prosecute Donald Trump and others. If they fear political pressure from bullies, they may do little or nothing. If they choose to uphold the law and the Constitution they will prosecute. If they do, because the evidence is overwhelming, Trump will go to prison. There are also additional legal actions still proceeding against Trump in both New York and Georgia.
The important question is what individual self-identified Republican citizens will do in the face of the evidence gathered by the Committee. I believe that, in the vacuum left by Trump, there is currently NO Republican leadership. I also believe that almost EVERY elected Republican — Federal, State, and Local — has been complicit (even if just by remaining silent) in the Trump/FoxNews/Billionaire/Proud Boys/QAnon plot to overthrow our democracy and replace it with authoritarian fascism.
It’s time to reevaluate where you stand
If you call yourself a Republican, you must now decide what to do. Will you continue to ignore the facts? Will you continue to make excuses for Trump’s crimes and the Party’s complicity? Will you turn off FauxNews and finally listen to some real world news sources? Will you talk to and listen with an open mind to some actual Democrats?
Will you change parties? Will you become an independent voter? Will you stay a Republican, but keep your mouth shut? Will you stay a Republican and try to steer the party back to sanity?
I know this is hard to accept, but your personal integrity is at stake. If you continue to keep your head in the sand and blindly continue to vote for liars and insurrectionists, that says something incriminating about your character. If you choose instead to open your eyes, repent of your past behavior, and start speaking the truth, your Republican family and friends who don’t want to hear the truth will probably punish you for it (like what happened to Liz Cheney and Rusty Bowers).
The possibility of repercussions can be scary. It will take courage to cast off your complicity and stand up for the truth. However, if you do choose to reclaim your integrity, I promise you will sleep better at night.
“The truth shall make you free”
John 8:32
Sources (Evidence): (If you are a Republican, you need to read these links).
Heather Cox Richardson, Facebook, December 19, 2022.
Annie Grayer, “What to watch for when the full House Jan. 6 committee report is released on Wednesday,” CNN, December 21, 2022.
Martin Pengally, “Five key conclusions from the January 6 panel’s final session,” The Guardian, December 19, 2022.
Tierney Sneed, et al, “What’s in the House January 6 committee report summary,” CNN, December 19, 2022.
“Watch video of key evidence at Jan.6 committee’s final public meeting,” CNN, YouTube, December 19, 2022.
“House January 6 Panel recommends criminal charges against Donald Trump,” Guardian News, YouTube, December 19, 2022.
“‘Unfit for any office’: Cheney lambasts Trump at final Jan. 6 panel meeting,” CNN, YouTube, December 19, 2022.
“Raskin: Trump is Constitutionally Disqualified from Holding Office for Insurrection Participation,” MSNBC, YouTube, December 19, 2022.
“Watch: Full Jan. 6 Committee Final Public Meeting,” MSNBC, YouTube, December 19, 2022.
“Introductory Material to the Final Report of the Select Committee,” NPR, December 19, 2022.
“Final Report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol,” january6th.house.gov, December 22, 2022.
“January 6 United States Capitol attack,” Wikipedia.
WOW. You said that out loud! You have my admiration. Thank you for articulating my thoughts better than I could have.
2 Thessalonians 2:11 is a CURSE and people who have been put under it will Never be able to recognize Truth… Hence, scream FACTS about this VILE entity who calls itself Trump ALL you want to and it will Not do one IOTA of good. .. NEVER- deluded constituents will always REMAIN. .
Well said! In addition there’s one more thing to think about for Republicans. For years Republicans have wrapped themselves in the Constitution and the flag. If they are Mormons, they relish the day that the Elders of Israel, Mormons, will rise up and save the Constitution hanging by a thread. Sen. Lee constantly talks about the Constitution yet former President Trump has openly stated that we should do away with parts of the Constitution or scrap it all together, UNBELIEVABLE!
Another thing LDS members need to ask of themselves is “Does the Constitution apply to ALL people?” Republicans constantly call Democrats names (Liberal to Socialist) because Democrats fight for rights for all people; rights like voting, access to housing or schools, and health care. When Trump advocates to build a wall, or Rep. Governors bus migrants to Nantucket, or the front of the VP’s house (in cold winter weather), it shows they don’t have an understanding of who the Constitution applies to or how it applies.
Everything that Brian said along with these couple of extra items are reasons that LDS Republicans should reconsider their political views. A political party is not a religion but is a group of people working for a common cause. If that common cause no longer represents what “good people” would do in equality and fairness, then it’s time to realign with another group that will.
Team affiliation trumps personal character.