Treason is an Ugly Affair: January 6th, One Year On

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

It's been a fast year.

One year ago today Americans suddenly awoke to the realization that our nation's long history of being a functioning democracy could be brought to an end - from within.  We had a man in the White House who was refusing to admit that he had lost his bid for re-election, and some politicians and media figures provoking his largely racist following with lies about the election and schemes to overturn the results.  As the country watched in general disbelief, the President went outside, spoke to the crowd, and then set them off on a march to the Capitol while he went back inside of the White House to watch the results of his provocation on television.

The protesters were ostensibly going into the Capitol to intimidate members of Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election, a certification which was to occur later that day.

More than two thousand people took part in the siege of the Capitol building. Windows were broken, doors forced open, and the hooligans swarmed the building confronting and assaulting police officers and causing all manner of destruction, mayhem, and even death.  They broke into offices, stole computers and personal items of legislators, smeared feces on walls, yelled of hanging the Vice-President of the United States, and generally ran amuck for more than three hours (187 minutes), before the instigator - the President of the United States - finally went on television and told them to go home.

So now that a year has passed, where do things stand?

Investigations are on-going, primarily on two fronts.  The FBI is conducting what it calls "the biggest criminal investigation in US history."   Over seven hundred people have already been charged with crimes stemming from the assault on the Capitol, with many more anticipated,    According to a story from National Public Radio (NPR) yesterday, the FBI is dividing the insurgents into roughly three categories:  those who were involved in the planning that went on ahead of the event, those who attacked police officers and committed other crimes inside of the building, and those who entered the building but committed no overt crimes once inside.

NPR has created a searchable database regarding the defendants which can be accessed and searched by the public.  So far 173 people have pleaded guilty to one or more charges in relation to the events of January 6th, and 74 of those have been sentenced to prison time - with an average sentence of 115 days.

And the FBI's work is continuing.  

But there is a second investigation going on at the same time, an inquiry by a select committee of the US House of Representatives.  That committee, much of whose work has been conducted behind closed doors, is turning over rocks where the FBI seems reluctant to tread.  Big names are being invited to testify - and in some cases subpoenaed -  as well as their phone records, notes, and other materials relevant to the attack of January 6th.  While much of the committee's work has been out of the public view, it has released some tantalizing tidbits for public consumption - such as copies of text messages between Fox News personalities and members of Trump's inner-circle that occurred on the day of the attack, and the committee is talking about soon having public hearings - in prime time!

So while many of us may feel disappointed that none of the players of consequence are yet behind bars,  the game is obviously still afoot - with the FBI tackling the invaders and leveling criminal charges while the House panel works to learn who were working on the inside to erode our democratic underpinnings.  At some point the two efforts will begin coming together and then the true picture of what happened last January 6th will emerge.

There is perhaps even a third front developing in this massive investigation.  Some of the Capitol police officers who were injured in the rioting have announced that they are bringing civil suits against Donald Trump, and those civil actions could also provide information that will help to develop a fuller picture of what went on that dreadful day in the US Capitol.

And llke the portrait that Dorian Gray kept in his attic, it will not be pretty.  Treason is an ugly affair.