The Insurrection Hearings

Well, after many months of reviewing evidence and taking testimony, the House Select Committee on January 6^th is ready for Prime Time. Some TV networks will televise the hearings starting this week on June 9^th. Most pundits assume the hearings will follow the model set when the Ukrainian hearings on the first impeachment were investigated. Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who is a committee member, has promised that “the hearings will blow the roof off of the House.” He further stated that this was not a coup against the president, but: “It was a coup directed by the president against the vice president and against the Congress.” Oddly enough, Jamie Raskin wrote in his book that Speaker Pelosi asked a committee early in 2020 to game out likely scenarios that might disrupt the election, and using the Vice President (VP) to throw the election to the House delegations was one strategy they discussed. An insurrection was not on their list, however. Reports surfaced this week that the Secret Service had warnings of violence, but took no actions to prevent this.

Reports also indicated that the former President would have been fine with hanging Mike Pence since he refused to do his bidding and disrupt the process. Seriously? Others have claimed that there were plans to move the Congressional members and Pence away from the Capitol “for their safety”, but all refused to go out from the complex, fearing that they would not be permitted to return and carry out their Constitutional duties of certifying the 2020 election if they left. Some have reported that the Secret Service wanted to move the VP to Joint base Andrews and fly him, who knows where?

The committee and staff have interviewed over 1000 witnesses to date, some of whom were uncooperative and appeared but did not communicate, other than to say ‘no comment’ or ask for protection under the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination. Some refused to appear and were subpoenaed. This week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) arrested former DJT cabinet member Peter Navarro, who refused to testify, citing executive privilege; however, he had been all over TV news shows touting what he knew and trying to sell his books on the administration. An economist, Navarro has written two recent books, one discusses the pandemic and the government reaction, in his understanding and the other explains how the MAGA crowd will take back the White House. However, it is surprising that he did not expect to be arrested for a criminal charge. He protested loudly that the FBI put him in handcuffs and leg irons and kept him in a lock-up overnight. Gee, he was treated like an ordinary citizen who defied the law. I guess his MAGA cloak powers did not work this time!

Steve Bannon, who was not a member of the Administration at the time of the insurrection, but was actively involved in the planning for January 6^th according to multiple reports, has already been indicted by the DOJ. He also refused to answer a subpoena from the Committee. Two other officials, former Presidential chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and aide Dan Scavino, who were not indicted, with the DOJ apparently believing that they either had an executive privilege or as with Meadows, had partially cooperated by turning over documents such as copies of text messages. They also described Scavino as engaging with the committee, although, to what extent is not public knowledge. As has been seen, some of these texts were explosive, such as those from Supreme Court spouse Ginnie Thomas, and several Fox TV commentators.

In May the DOJ released a report detailing the arrests and convictions to date of those physically involved in the January 6^th insurrection. The Department reports that the Architect of the Capitol estimated total damages to the building and grounds exceeded 1.6 million dollars. In the 16 months since the insurrection, the Department notes they have made 810 arrests of individuals from every state in the union. They charged approximately 255 with assaulting, resisting arrest, or impeding officers or employees; they also charged 85 of these with using deadly or dangerous weapons or causing serious bodily harm to an officer. (The report notes that 80 US Capitol Police were injured and 60 officers from the DC Police force were also assaulted.) They charged over 700 defendants with entering or remaining in a restricted area. DOJ has charged approximately 50 defendants with various characterizations of conspiracy. Defendants received convictions for 232 misdemeanors. To date, they have convicted 48 of felonies. Three who pleaded guilty to felonies have also pleaded guilty to the federal charge of seditious conspiracy. Other trials, especially of those involved with the Oath Keepers, are still pending. Their leader, and ten others, were indicted on charges of seditious conspiracy in January. The report concludes with thanks to the public for identifying many of those who were at the Capitol and involved in the assaults and notes that it is still searching for a few particular individuals who assaulted officers or members of the media.

I will watch the hearings to learn more about these plots against our democracy and to find out why so many elected and appointed officials worked against this democratic process that has served us well since our country began. Until now, we have never had a President refuse to accept the results of an election. I understand that power can corrupt, but know that it does not have to. When Nixon was facing impeachment for his actions to circumvent the FBI, burglarizing the Democratic headquarters, playing dirty tricks on his opponents, and using a secret slush fund to pay for it all, members of his party told him he had to step down as he would be impeached and few Republicans would stand with him. Today, as we near the 50-year-anniversary of the Watergate hearings, reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein writing in the Washington Post, compare former Presidents Nixon and DJT and find many similarities between the two, especially in their disregard for the Rule of Law and the limits on Presidential power. Both were focused on winning at any costs, whether it meant stealing medical records, in the case of the Pentagon Papers, or lying to the public when a pandemic threatened public safety and future votes. Today, sadly, the Republican Party has no such sense of service to the country or conscience and would not vote for impeachment even when criminal acts were proven in both cases by the able Democratic House managers.

I remain hopeful that these January 6th hearings will open the eyes of those who have had their vision clouded over by the propaganda from Fox and other right-wing apologists, but I am not overly optimistic. So, the right has swayed so many by years of media propaganda, Russian and other bots on the internet, and lies repeated month after month, that it is truly sad. Today the Republican party has no interest in uniting the country, entering a dialogue with others, or even taking part in the time-honored tradition of presidential debates. They have stepped out of the process since they cannot control it and now act more like a cult than a political party. None of the House members asked to testify about the insurrection agreed to appear before the committee.

These chasms of division are starkly clear in the gun debates currently underway in the media, on the House and Senate floors, and on street corners. As Democrats make a call for sensible gun legislation, that is supported by over 80% of the people, Minority Leader McConnell offers empathy, thoughts, and prayers and forms a study group that most likely will again obfuscate and delay any actions on the matters. Meanwhile, in Uvalde, Texas, parents are burying their children in colorful caskets that further emphasize that these kids will never realize their dreams, nor those of their parents. This is all because Texas law allows an 18-year-old immature and troubled teen to buy military-style weapons and hundreds of rounds of bullets without waiting periods or adequate background checks.

A pleasant note-funerals were being provided to the families without cost; a vendor donated the colorful caskets which he designed for each child individually, so one showed a Superman logo and another was for a princess. Still, even as this good news was reported, news also surfaced that the police chief went to the scene at the school without his radio and did not know that the courageous children inside were calling for help on 911; calling for help that for many came too late. Too strange to be believed–the actions of this force!

I think this is the time for Congress and individual states to enact sensible gun legislation that would call for 21 years of age to purchase military-style weapons, (until they are banned), restrict allowed magazines to ten shots, enact “Red Flag” laws to protect gun owners from harming themselves and others as about half of the gun deaths each year are because of suicides. And, restore the assault weapons ban-long shot, but worth repeating and demanding. In 2020, Pew Research reports there were more gun-related deaths than any other year in our history-45,222 of which 54% were suicides. These figures show a 43% increase from a decade earlier. The top five states for gun deaths were Louisiana, Mississippi, Wyoming, Missouri, and Alabama.

Brady Foundation research reports that, on average, 321 people are shot each day in America, of that number 111 will die. The school shootings hit the headlines, but day by day our citizens are killing themselves and others. This has to stop.

Covid is still with us and tallies over 100,000 cases each day. Over 84 million Americans have contracted the virus. Deaths are down and are just under 300 daily, but deaths have totaled over one million since they identified the virus. Maryland claims 76% vaccination rates and currently averages just over 2100 cases daily. Some are predicting a summer surge since the latest variants are so easily transmitted; I sure hope that they are wrong.

'Til next week-Peace!