I watched a modern show trial over the past week. It had all the trappings: the solemnity of place, the jurists elevated above the mere mortals in the audience, the fawning media ready to pounce and tear the accused – who weren’t allowed a defense, or even a presence – to pieces. I searched for the unquiet ghost of Lavrentiy Beria but didn’t see him. Perhaps he was secreted in the dais, whispering poison upward into the ear of Liz Cheney.
Yes, I refer to the monstrosity that is the televised “hearings” of the House Commission to Rid America of Republicans, doing business as the Commission to Investigate Our Political Enemies. It is a dangerous fraud and all the more so for its transparent biases and its depraved fixation on one man – Donald Trump, who ripped the mask off the corruption and betrayals of America’s political class. In reply, Those You All Must Obey have whipped themselves into a frenzy of hatred and seek his destruction. The Committee is their vehicle.
According to the Congressional Research Service Digest, the enabling legislation for this investigation, entitled National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act, “…establishes in the legislative branch the National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex.
The commission must (1) conduct an investigation of the relevant facts and circumstances relating to the attack on the Capitol; (2) identify, review, and evaluate the causes of and the lessons learned from this attack; and (3) submit specified reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations to improve the detection, prevention, preparedness for, and response to targeted violence and domestic terrorism and improve the security posture of the U.S. Capitol Complex.”
However, the commission, having agreed out of political expedience that Donald Trump is the sole relevant “fact and circumstance” and the only “cause,” has proceeded immediately to the “elimination of political enemies” phase of step three. In doing so it has sped past a few “relevant facts and circumstances” that might bear further investigation.
Both a recently-revealed US Capitol Police timeline and internal emails show that President Trump was willing to activate up to 20,000 national guard to provide security in Washington, D.C., and that Carol Corbin of the DOD texted USCP Deputy Chief Sean Gallagher as early as January 2, asking if there were plans to request the guard. Gallagher replied no. On January 4, USCP rethought and Their chief brought the issue to the Sergeant-at-Arms, to Chuck Schumer and to Nancy Pelosi who waffled about additional assistance. Washington mayor Muriel Bowser also declined troops in a letter which said in part ““To be clear, the District of Columbia is not requesting other federal law enforcement personnel and discourages any additional deployment without immediate notification to and consultation with MPD, if such plans are underway.” She added that the Metro PD was “well trained and prepared to lead the way.”
Meanwhile, President Trump signed an authorization to activate the guard troops, according to the sworn testimony of both acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and his chief of staff, Kash Patel. But without a go-head from Mayor Bowser or the Capitol police, they remained undeployed. These all seem “relevant facts and circumstances” to me, but I looked for them in vain in the Kangaroo Kourt hearings I watched.
Why were additional security forces not requested? Who made those decisions? In all likelihood, we’ll never know, because the principals – Pelosi, Schumer, Bowser and others – are so far from being interviewed about this they may as well be on Mars.
Because, TRUMP.
According to capitol architect, the 20,000-pound bronze East portico exterior doors through which demonstrators streamed into the rotunda are bullet and blastproof, and entry-resistant, and are secured by magnetic locks accessible only from the inside and operable only with a code used by the capitol police. In many videos of the riot the doors are shown closed, with people attempting futilely to force them. Then, suddenly, they are open. Who opened them, and why? Again, these seem “relevant facts,” but we’ll never be told and there will be no investigation.
Because, TRUMP.
Meanwhile, many of the 800 persons arrested for their January 6 naughtiness – mostly misdemeanors like trespass – continue to be detained in District of Columbia jails more than 17 months after the event. The longer they remain jailed without trial, specific charges, contact, competent legal representation or bail, the more their captivity looks like exactly what it is: political incarceration. In his testimony to the committee, former Federal Appeals Court judge Michael Luttig cast aspersions on the January 6 rioters in the most florid of purple prose, opining that “False claims that our elections have been stolen from us corrupt our democracy, as they corrupt us,” without any breath of reminder that prominent Democrat members of Congress had been doing this every time a Republican was elected president since 2000.
Because, TRUMP. Of course.
He also opined that the jailed rioters should remain where and as they are until the government decides for itself that they are no longer a threat. Which is a rather horrific thought for a Federal jurist. He might review the sixth amendment which reads in part: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury…” and five other specific and mandatory things, all denied to the political detainees of January 6. Go read it for yourself, if you dare in the increasingly authoritarian state that is Joe Biden’s America.
Evidently the Biden Administration, which ought to provide leadership to a world faced by growing threats to freedom from the authoritarianism of gangster states like Russia and China, finds the lure of such authoritarianism irresistible in the quest for permanent power here at home.
The entire corrupt shadowplay is a nauseating farce; a terrible departure from traditional practice by a council of self-proclaimed censors who to a person hate the man who made fools of them, and anyone who would dare support him. It is to smash these smelly WalMart usurpers and return them to their proper forelock-tugging status of serfs that this obscene parody has been incarnated; to use the words of defense attorney Jonathon Moseley, who at least has eyes to see:
“This baseless prosecution is the greatest threat to the Republic since 1812. This prosecution is not about an attack on our Republic. This prosecution IS the attack on our Republic.”
