Still A Day of Infamy
Re-elected, not exonerated.
Jan 06, 2025
Let’s be clear about one
thing: Donald Trump has never been exonerated for the crime he
committed on January 6th, for the vile conspiracy he orchestrated, or for the
intent to corrupt and destroy the results of a free and fair election.
We owe it to history—and to future generations—to remember how that day stained
our democracy and exposed the dangerous path Trump led his followers down with
his corrupt actions.
January 6th taught us that the guardrails, norms, and institutions we were told would hold firm…didn’t. The fabled protection of providence that had spared America from its worst instincts failed.
Instead, we witnessed a mob bent on subverting the peaceful transfer of power.
Politicians who previously assured us that our democracy could withstand any
onslaught suddenly found themselves cowering as chaos reigned in the Capitol’s
halls.
At this moment, there is
a profound arrogance within the MAGA right over Trump’s impending return to the
Oval Office. To them, reelection wipes the slate clean—that’s their twisted
version of absolution. But it’s one more illustration of their radical, post-conservative
character: they can’t or won’t see the harm January 6th inflicted on America’s
national reputation and honor.
There’s an uncomfortable truth we still refuse to confront: a significant slice
of our citizens no longer believe in the Constitution, the rule of law, the
peaceful transfer of power, or the continuation of this Republic. The greatest
trick the MAGA devil ever pulled was convincing the media this is all about
economic anxiety and culture war: it’s about competing visions of America, and
MAGA’s vision is dark, dangerous, and authoritarian.
A constitutional republic based on representative democracy isn’t hot enough
for them. It’s a weak system in their minds, insufficiently flush with Trumpian
testosterone.
Instead, they yearn for an autocratic strongman—Dear Leader handing down orders
by fiat. All the battles to come—legislative, legal, political—boil down to
whether we treat January 6th as a moral good or an unforgivable sin.
Donald J. Trump’s
reentry into the White House in a few short days, propelled by grievance
politics and revisionist history, might seem like a vindication in MAGA-world.
Reelection does not absolve him of complicity in the events of
January 6th. It doesn’t erase the tidal wave of lies, the sham legal maneuvers,
the rallies, the tweets, or the calls to “fight like hell.” It doesn’t expunge
the rhetoric that ignited that tinderbox of rage.
Endorsing the idea that victory in another election equals absolution is worse
than rewriting history—it’s a moral travesty.
The argument that Trump’s return to the presidency somehow proves the January 6th Committee was just political theater is laughable and dangerous. The absence of immediate legal consequences—investigations and prosecutions snuffed out for purely political reasons—doesn’t translate into innocence.
Historians will spill plenty of ink and electrons on Merrick Garland’s failure
to use his authority as Attorney General to pursue charges against Trump and
his co-conspirators the instant he assumed office. We’ll be paying the price
for that inaction for decades.
We know what January 6th
truly was: an attack on our Capitol, the only successful mass terrorist assault
on it in modern history. We all saw the chaos.
We saw the brutal violence against Capitol Police and D.C. Metro officers, the
smashed windows, and the terror in the eyes of the lawmakers who scrambled to
safety. Too many of those same lawmakers now pretend it was a jovial tourist
visit. Confederate flags defiled the sacred halls of American governance, a
stark reminder of the depth of our national divides. We saw the Camp Auschwitz
shirts and the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and other Trump militants.
They can’t see or recognize the shame they brought on this nation. Reelection
is not a holy pardon that wipes away that shame; it’s merely a symptom of a
party and a movement that can’t feel it
Not
all Trump supporters are Nazis, but all the Nazis are Trump supporters.
Trump’s pledge to pardon
or commute the sentences of those convicted for their actions on January 6th is
the final, brazen insult to our nation. It spits on the very idea of
consequences—on the rule of law that he and his allies claim to champion.
For any patriot, January
6th will remain a day of infamy.
