Dear Editor and Gentle Reader,

There’s no honor among thieves, my dear old dad used to say. We are finding this true today in the events that unfolded after the November 2020 election. The House Select Committee investigating the January 6th insurrection has done a great deal of work. The recent testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson, aide to Mark Meadows, Trump’s Chief of Staff, goes farther than ever to show “intent” on Trump’s part... that he knew he lost the election, that everyone around him told him so, that 60 plus lawsuits were thrown out for lack of evidence. Trump latched onto one scheme after another to try to manipulate himself back into power, including asking Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to possibly seize election machines and declare martial law. The Committee hearings have shown lifelong Republican election officials and Justice Dept officials, many of them pro-Trump, who held the line against his attempts to steal the election.

When those didn’t work, he latched onto Eastman’s thin legal theories, first that Vice President Pence could accept false electors from contested states, and if this didn’t happen, Pence could just throw the election results back to the states, despite being told that this was unconstitutional. Trump put on a massive pressure campaign on Pence to “do the right thing” and throw it back to the states. Finally, when it became clear that Pence was going to follow the Constitution and reject Trump’s last- ditch attempts, that Trump spoke fighting words to the mob, looked the other way when he knew they were armed, sent them on their way to the capital, and left the capital police on their own to stave off this onslaught. Trump’s incendiary tweet that Pence hadn’t done “the right thing”, set the mob into a heightened frenzy and this is when they began to chant “Hang Mike Pence”. He then did nothing for hours as many in his family and his administration asked him to call off the “mob”. It was Pence who called for reinforcements. Trump instead tried to make his way to the Capitol, perhaps to try to lead this rag tag group. Who knows, but one thing is clear, Trump is at least partially responsible for 5 deaths and over 140 injured police on that day.

Here is a quote from a NY Times summary. “The committee will hold more hearings in the coming weeks, and other details will no doubt emerge. But the fundamental story of January 6 is clear: A United States president who lost re- election was aware of — and encouraged — a violent attack on the Capitol intended to prevent the transfer of power to his opponent, the election’s victor. Afterward, most members of that defeated president’s party decided not to hold him accountable for doing so. Instead, with rare exceptions, they largely ignored or even repeated his lies about the election.”

147 Republican lawmakers voted not to certify the election. Also, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer who spearheaded the 60 plus legal challenges, and Michael Flynn, who suggested the martial law idea, asked for pardons. There were several other Republican lawmakers who also asked for a pardon. Why?

There is one essential truth here: everything Trump touches, he destroys. Is it not sad that our country has been torn apart by someone whose ego is so fragile that he caused all this? There is no evidence of widespread fraud. Period. If the election was stolen, then how come Republicans down the ballot won in bigger numbers than Trump? A year and a half later, we are still fighting this, as they all take the 5th amendment. He has caused such division.

Perhaps the most amazing thing is that this Republican Party which refused to hold Trump accountable during his TWO IMPEACHMENT TRIALS, is projected to take control of the House and perhaps the Senate. David Brooks commented on this phenomenon recently. “I’ve had a recurring mystification over the past six years: How is it possible that Democrats are not crushing these guys? The G.O.P. has worked full time to disgrace itself over these years. And yet experts expect the Republicans to easily retake the House and perhaps the Senate. That’s kind of amazing when you stop to think about it.” Brooks further postulates some reasons for this. “The Republican Party has grown pretty extreme over the past few years. But it’s important to remember Americans believe that the Democratic Party has grown extreme, too. According to a CNN Survey, 46 percent of Americans believe the G.O.P. is “too extreme” and 48 percent believe the Democratic Party is “too extreme.” My guess is that this is not about Democratic domestic policies, many of which are popular, but about progressive cultural and social stances. It’s about people feeling alienated from metropolitan elites.”

So, ethics and integrity take a back seat to the culture wars, such as the 2nd Amendment or abortion. Democracy loses. Cassidy Hutchinson may have spoken the final judgment. She called Trump’s actions “unpatriotic” and “un-American” when he failed to intervene and then sent the incendiary tweet about Pence. I would add “outrageous” to describe Trump. I think it’s time to charge this man for his crimes. No one is above the law.

Bill Thibedeau

Gilpin County