Jan 13, 20213 min read

Treason at the Capitol

“WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN.” These are the words a rioter from Wednesday, January 6th left on Nancy Pelosi’s desk. This date will go down in history-- for all the wrong reasons. A mob of thousands of Trump supporters, some armed, attempted to shove past police, and hundreds managed to breach the U.S. capitol building. They wreaked havoc, even entering congressional offices, sitting in desks, overturning furniture, and ripping photos off the wall. Congressmen and women were forced to take shelter in safe areas until law enforcement could get the situation under control. This was all part of the “Stop the Steal” protest, which resulted from unsupported claims of voter fraud and left four people dead with dozens more injured.

Disturbingly, a “Camp Auschwitz” hoodie, nooses, and confederate flags all showed up during Wednesday’s violence. Tim Gionet, a known Neo-nazi, was also present, and his livestream captured what appears to be a police officer taking a selfie with rioters. The police present have been exceedingly criticized, this video being one of the reasons why. Many people perceived the police as offering little resistance to rioters, especially compared to their response to BLM peaceful protests and riots. Additionally, while there were thousands of protestors and hundreds of people who managed to enter the building, less than 100 were arrested.

As of January 7, only 82 people have been arrested in connection with the riot. Over sixty of these people were arrested for curfew violations, and 37 for unlawful entry (Some were charged with more than one offense). Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger, House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving, and Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund have all resigned or plan to resign.

On top of this, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for the removal of President Trump on January 7. Pelosi stated that if Pence and Cabinet officials don’t turn to the 25th Amendment, which would replace Trump with Pence as president, Democrats would take action. This could be done two different ways. A Politico article states, “Democrats could swiftly create a commission to begin the process of removing Trump through the 25th Amendment, or take the unprecedented step of impeaching a sitting president for the second time in one term.” This would be a momentous step, especially considering that we have less than two weeks before Biden’s inauguration.

President Trump and President-elect Biden had much different tones when addressing Wednesday’s events. Trump once again made baseless claims that the election was stolen from him. He told the rioters that he loved them and that they were special, but needed to go home. Twitter later removed this video and permanently suspended his account. Biden stated that the violence did not represent America and notably said, “Don’t dare call them protestors.” He also made the observation that police would have responded differently had the rioters been protesting for Black Lives Matter.

Surprisingly, President Trump conceded on Thursday night in a second video, which was released by the White House. He stated, “Now Congress has certified the results. A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20.” He also said that he would ensure a smooth transition of power. He will not, however, be attending Biden’s inauguration.

Overall, the events of the last few days have been nothing short of chaotic, shocking, and historic. It will be interesting to see how this situation unfolds in the coming days.

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Written by: Brinley Pethe

Treason at the Capitol

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