History should not be kind to those who fomented and perpetrated an attack on the United States two years ago today. Nor should it be kind to those who have attempted to downplay or dismiss the riot of Jan. 6, 2021.
Despite efforts to justify the events at the U.S. Capitol, or to paint those events as something other than an insurrection, or to ignore the facts of that day, the truth eventually will win out. That truth will reflect a seminal day in our nation’s history, when a temple of democracy came under attack not from foreign actors but from domestic terrorists determined to disrupt the peaceful transfer of presidential power.
In the minds of some, it is time to move on, to forget that Jan. 6 ever happened, to focus on the current administration and the current status of this nation. But it is possible to do both, to keep an eye to the future while also exploring and examining the past, assessing the measures that are necessary to ensure that such an attack is never again possible.
To forget history is to invite its repetition, and so we must use this anniversary to reflect upon the failures that allowed the attack to occur. That was the goal of the House Select Committee that recently concluded its investigation into the attack. In addition to recommending four criminal charges against former President Donald Trump for his role in the insurrection, the committee detailed and preserved a historical record of the events.
As Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said upon release of the committee’s 850-page report: “This is not an Agatha Christie novel; we know exactly whodunit.”
No, there is little mystery. And the meticulous, sober work of the committee unearthed details previously unknown to the public — details revealed not by political gadflies seeking to undermine Trump, but by members of the White House inner circle. It is worth noting that nearly everybody who testified in public or private during the investigation was a Republican or an appointed member of the Trump administration.
They disclosed that Trump and his inner circle contacted state elections officials more than 200 times in an effort to overturn results of the presidential election; and that Trump was informed that many of his supporters were armed on Jan. 6, yet he still encouraged them to march on the Capitol; and that Trump ignored pleas from staff and family members to urge the rioters to stand down, appearing to revel in the violence.
The result was a mob breaching congressional chambers and chanting, “Hang Mike Pence.” Members of Congress were sent scurrying to safety. Four people in the crowd died on Jan. 6, and five police officers who were at the Capitol that day died in the following weeks — including three by suicide.
It was a deadly and shocking attack that warrants a contemplative place in our nation’s history.
Congress last month included reforms to the Electoral Count Act in an omnibus spending bill, seeking to prevent a repeat of Jan. 6. It is a worthy move but should not lead to complacency.
Most important is accountability for those who engage in violence against the United States; investigations and prosecutions must continue as long as it takes for justice to be served. Thus far, the Department of Justice has a 99.8 percent conviction rate on charges related to the Jan. 6 attack.
Recently, as part of the Jan. 6 committee’s report, it was revealed that Trump lieutenant Hope Hicks texted to a friend during the riot: “We all look like domestic terrorists now.” History must always reflect that assertion.
