The Traitor in Chief
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BY JTTC
Watch a video breakdown of the insurrection timeline here.
On Wednesday, Jan. 6, supporters of the outgoing President Donald Trump participated in an insurrection and sieged the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. In the weeks leading up to this, even Donald Trump had been encouraging supporters to come to Washington. D.C. for a rally in response to his continued claims of election fraud and his refusal to acknowledge the victory of incoming President Joe Biden. Initially, the crowd started as a small rally. As the day drew on, the rally’s numbers swelled and the audience became more and more energized by the speeches given by Donald Trump and a handful of aides and family members. During the rally, Trump encouraged his supporters “to fight” and march on the capitol building. Trump told the crowd that “after this, we're going to walk down — and I'll be there with you — we're going to walk down ... to the Capitol and we’re going to walk down to the Capitol and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women,” in reference to Republican efforts to delay the certification of Biden’s presidential victory. Despite promises during the rally to join the marchers, Trump left the rally by motorcade and scurried back to the White House before the marchers reached the Capitol Building. What followed was several hours of the most explicit attempt by traitors at overthrowing the American democratic system since the Civil War.
An insurrectionist flies the flag of a hostile power on the second floor of the U.S. Capitol near the entrance to the Senate. (Mike Theiler | Retuers)
Shortly after this, a mob of Trump supporters began to overrun barricades outside the Capitol building, they confronted police and stormed the building. Within the next hour, insurrectionists had begun to overwhelm police and had placed pipe bombs at the RNC and DNC national headquarters. Shortly after 2 PM EST, the insurrectionist had breached the building and the Senate was forced to evacuate to the House. Quick action by Senate staffers prevented the electoral votes from being destroyed by the insurgents. During this period Donald Trump refused to activate the National Guard and instead tweeted out halfhearted comments on restraint while simultaneously cheering and encouraging the extremists. It wasn’t until after 3 PM EST that Vice President Mike Pence along with other federal officials activated the National Guard as a result of President Donald Trump’s refusal to do so. By 5:30 PM EST, the insurgents' attempted coup had failed and they were forced out of the Capitol Building. By 8:00 PM EST Congress had reconvened to certify the election. Nearly 150 Republicans continued to oppose the election results, many changed their mind and even castigated other Republicans who had chosen to continue their objections considering the insurrection instigated by Donald Trump. Joe Biden was then confirmed as the next president of the United States and Donald Trump was permanently banned from most social media platforms for his role in instigating an insurrection.
Pro-Trump seditionists clash with police at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021. (Shannon Stapleton | Reuters)
As a result of the short-lived insurrection, five individuals lost their lives. One individual Officer Brian D. Sicknick died the day after the siege from injuries he received from insurrectionists while attempting to defend the Capitol Building. His death is currently being investigated as a homicide. Another individual Ashley Babbit was shot while attempting to breach a barricaded section of the Capitol building along with a group of sparsely armed insurgents. Despite immediate medical attention from Capitol Police Ms. Babbit succumbed to her injuries the same day. The other three individuals died from various medical-related injuries with at least one Kevin Greeson suffering a heart attack. Dozens of other insurgents have been arrested and charged on a variety of charges, some in federal courts and others in the District of Columbia Superior court. This includes former West Virginia House Representative Derrick Evans who resigned after his arrest as well as Alabama man Lonnie Leroy Coffman who was arrested after his pickup was found to have contained eleven homemade bombs, ammunition and firearms in preparation for the siege. Federal authorities are still attempting to locate individuals who participated in the insurrection. Any information that can be used to identify terrorists involved with the insurrection can be submitted here.
Police begin to clear demonstrators gathered as they protest the death of George Floyd, Monday, June 1, 2020, near the White House in Washington. (Alex Brandon | AP Photo)
The immediate insurrection may have failed and put down, but that hasn’t been the end of the fallout from it. Multiple members of the Trump administration have resigned as a result of the insurrection. This includes both Betsy DeVos and Elaine Chao who is also the wife of Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell have served in the administration for the past 4 years. On top of this three of the capitol’s security officials have been sacked for the lack of preparation for the insurrection. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund will be resigning on Jan. 16. Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger resigned on Thursday at the request of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving will be resigning soon at the request of House Majority Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Almost 20 years after 9/11 and with over $700 billion in military spending a year, the three hours it took for federal authorities to even begin to respond to the insurrection seemed almost intentional. The complicity of some members of the Capitol Police is one of the issues at the heart of the aftermath.
Members of the D.C. National Guard stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as demonstrators participate in a peaceful protest against police brutality after the death of George Floyd on June 2, 2020. (Win McNamee | Getty Images)
Dozens of officers were injured defending the capital and many were filmed engaging with terrorists to keep the Capitol Building secure. However, other officers were filmed opening barricades to seditionists and in one case stopping to take a selfie with an insurgent. Furthermore, the Capitol Building is notoriously difficult to navigate with even members of congress having difficulty navigating its halls. The speed at which seditionists were able to navigate the Capitol to find specific congressional offices was the most alarming, with one of the most notable being Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s third-floor office. Seditionists even reported to the New York Times that it was a member of the Capitol Police that directed them to the office of Senator Chuck Schumer. Furthermore, top officials like Police Chief Sund had had possibly intentionally misinformed members of Congress about the preparations for the Trump rally. This included a lack of candid detailed communication even during the actual insurrection, with members of Congress having to rely on social media to get information about their security status. Despite the request of Mayor Muriel Bowser for National Guard troops, the Capitol Police rejected the offer of federal assistance from the Defense Department three days before the insurgency. Whether members of the Capitol Police actively engaged in the treason at the Capitol Building is one of the issues that is currently being investigated. However, whatever outcome there is one man who instigated the entire insurrection.
A makeshift noose and gallows erected outside the Capitol Building by Trump insurgents. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images)
Donald J. Trump instigated the insurrection at the Capitol Building. He did this by spending months undermining the very foundation of the U.S. democracy, by eroding confidence in and attacking the electoral process. What followed was a rally built on the idea that the entire democracy had been subverted and that the only beacon of truth was one individual, Donald Trump. Several hours later Trump had managed to whip this rally into a frenzy and sent them off to the Capitol Building in a vain attempt to lash out at those he felt had wronged him personally. Within hours these supporters had turned their march into a full-blown insurrection storming the Capitol Building, leaving pipe bombs at political headquarters for those they opposed, injuring law enforcement and in one case killing a Capitol Police officer. Furthermore, these individuals have been incensed to commit in some cases treason against their country. Even more troubling were the reports of members of the Capitol Police failing to take the warning signs of the insurrections seriously and then assisting the insurgents. Members of the insurrection continue to be arrested with at least 25 charges of domestic terrorism and senior security officials dismissed from their posts. Trump was impeached in the House of Representatives on Wednesday but is unlikely to have a trial in the Senate before leaving office. However, the primary instigator, the traitor in chief of the insurrection continues to sit in the White House seemingly immune to any consequences to the actions that started a domestic insurgency and left five Americas dead.
JTTC is a political writer for La Tonique.
