I was not in Washington on January 6, 2020.  My perspective on the events of that day is therefore limited by my access to unbiased news, and in these troubled times balanced news coverage is an extremely rare commodity.  Nevertheless, I will sift through the information available to me, apply my own biases, and tell you what I think took place that day and in the aftermath.

Major news organizations and information sources such as Google and Wikipedia push the narrative that the 2020 Presidential election was properly conducted, Joseph Biden was the clear winner, and that anyone who says otherwise is propagating a lie.   Nevertheless, I believe President Trump was absolutely convinced that he had been cheated of victory in the election.  A few of his associates were trying to persuade him otherwise, but many of those close to him were as certain as he was that the outcome had been rigged. There were good reasons for them to believe that to be true.  The wholesale change in election laws and procedures because of Covid had led to a veritable avalanche of mail-in ballots that many states were not prepared to handle properly. Voter rolls were seriously out of date, and there were many reports of improper electoral procedures and fraudulent conduct.  Mark Zuckerberg and other wealthy progressives put their feet on the scales by pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into local electoral machinery in key states in their effort to defeat Trump. How was that money used? Perhaps ever more damaging, all the major news networks colluded in suppressing legitimate news stories (e.g., Hunter’s laptop) that probably would have been fatal to the Biden campaign.  Even with all those massive efforts to deny Trump his reelection, the final outcome was determined by several thousand votes in a few key states.  Trump wished to contest those results.  It was his right to do so. 

Perhaps Trump should have yielded gracefully and admitted the obvious fact that the Democrats had managed to lawfully steal the election, and, failing a reversal by the courts, there was nothing he could do about it.  But Trump is a fighter.  So long as there was a scintilla of a chance to reverse the outcome, he was not ready to concede.  Though he did not call for violence, his January 6 rally on the National Mall set the stage for the mayhem that followed.  The Senate was in session to ratify the election results, and Trump gave a fiery speech in front of thousands of supporters. As Trump ended his speech, he called for peaceful protests, but Trump undoubtedly realized the potential for civil disturbances.  He had previously consulted with advisors about making the National Guard available to Congress and the DC authorities. But Nancy Pelosi and the DC mayor rejected the offer of the Guard, probably because of concern about optics.  They evidently thought that the Capitol Police could handle the any situation that might arise.

The crowds in Washington that day included some real troublemakers.  Among these were members of the Proud Boys, a right-wing organization that had been associated with past instances of violence.  At least 54 Proud Boys were among those persons who were later charged with participating in the Capitol breach on January 6.  Of course, there were other semi-professional agitators such as anarchists who also entered the capitol that day, and there are reports that some of the intruders may have been agent provocateurs.  It is estimated that perhaps 3,000  protestors entered the Capitol building, and it’s obvious that that several hundred of them did so with malevolent intent.  Nevertheless, even the violent ones did not appear to be aiming for a coup.  They were disorganized, only a few were armed, and none of the demonstrators fired a lethal weapon.  Most of those people in the Capitol’s surging crowd were peaceful and acted much as gawking tourists, while several hundred of their fellow demonstrators were breaking through barriers and clashing with police, doing injury by use of fists, flag staffs, broken signs, etc. 

Though no Capitol policeman was killed that day, there were wounds and psychological trauma; and several Capitol officers were reported to have died later as a possible result of injuries or psychological stress.  A final report states that 138 policemen were injured, 15 of whom were hospitalized.  All hospitalized officers had been released by January 11.

Four rioters died during the confrontations, but only one death can positively be attributed to police action.  Many other demonstrators suffered injuries, some serious, but the actual number is unknown.   

Though several hundred rioters engaged in criminal assaults, destruction of property, etc., it was obvious that the January 6 riots were unplanned and uncoordinated.  To call it an insurrection is a complete misnomer.  At no time was the government of the United States of America in danger of being overthrown.

Trump did not call for the Capitol incursion, nor is there any evidence that he or his close supporters wished it to occur.  However, when he learned about what was happening at the Capitol, Trump was slow to issue a cease-and-desist order to his followers.  I’m certain that his sympathies were with the demonstrators.  After all, he had stirred them up, and they were fighting for him.  I believed Trump may have wished to go to the Capitol himself and restore order; but wise counsel and sober reflection soon prevailed, and at that point Trump broadcast a message to his followers to go home.

Democratic Party leaders, Department of Justice officials, and other members of the Washington establishment had been trying to destroy Trump from the moment he entered the national political scene in June 2015.  First, they tried the Steele Dossier and the Russian collusion hoax.  That effort continued for the first two years of Trump’s Presidency, but when that failed House Democrats impeached him twice on spurious charges that were quickly shot down in the Senate.  Now, with the January 6 affair, they evidently believed they finally had the evidence to ensure Trump’s political demise.  They were determined to take full advantage of this opportunity to destroy him.   

Newly elected President Biden and Congressional Democrats labeled the January 6 Capitol incursion as the most dangerous event in American history since the firing on Fort Sumter.  In their representations, the Pearl Harbor and 9/11 attacks faded in comparison to January 6 as threats to our republic.  Of course, they were convinced that Donald Trump was responsible, and to prove this fact the House created the January 6 Committee.  In violation of House precedents, the Speaker Pelosi denied the minority leader’s right to select a nearly equal number Republican committee members.  Instead, she manipulated the process so that the committee had seven Democrats and two renegade (anti-Trump) Republicans.  Because of its composition, the January 6 Committee took a completely one-sided look at the evidence and determined that Trump was guilty as charged.  There was no minority report.

I believe the January 6 Committee was an affront to American justice, and it amazes me that any product of this committee should have credence.  Unfortunately, the Trump hating members of the mainstream media describe the committee as being bipartisan and accept its conclusions as gospel.

The Department of Justice, now under the leadership of anti-Trump AG Merrick Garland, went after Trump and his associates with a vengeance.  Two members of Trump’s inner circle were charged with contempt of Congress for failing to appear before the January 6 Committee, and the DOJ tried, convicted, and sentenced them to prison terms.  The DOJ also pursued anyone who could be identified as being involved in the January 6 riot.  Three years after the event, DOJ continues to search for guilty parties.  Trump himself has been charged, and Washington’s federal courthouse remains flooded with trials, guilty plea hearings and sentencings stemming from what has become the largest criminal investigation in American history.  And the hunt for suspects is far from over.

As of early 2024, more than 1,230 people have been charged with federal crimes resulting from the January 6, 2021, affair.  These charges range from misdemeanor offenses such as trespassing to felonies like assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy.  About 750 people have been sentenced, with almost two-thirds receiving some time behind bars.  Prison sentences have ranged from a few days of intermittent confinement to 22 years in prison.  The trials continue, and there have been frequent complaints about pre-trial detainments being too long and under inhumane conditions.

Many of those arrested for trespassing were also charged with obstructing an official proceeding.  The obstructors managed to delay Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory over Trump for only a few hours.  Nevertheless, conviction for obstruction carries up to 20 years behind bars and is among the most widely used felony charges brought against the Jan. 6 rioters.  At least 152 people have been convicted at trial or pleaded guilty to obstruction, and at least 108 of them have been sentenced..

The obstruction law being applied was written in 2002 in response to the Enron controversy.  In late 2023 a lower court judge dismissed the use of this law against several January 6 defendants, The judge found that prosecutors stretched the law beyond its scope by inappropriately applying it in these cases.  An appellate court overruled the judge, and the matter was then appealed to the Supreme Court.  It is now under review, and if the Supreme Court should side with the judge it will play havoc with DOJ prosecutions

Many of those arrested for involvement in the riot appear to have guilty of  little more than entering the building.  For example, Rebecca Lavrenzs, a 71 year-old grandmother from Colorado, was convicted on April 4, 2024, on four federal misdemeanor charges, including entering and remaining in a restricted building and disorderly and disruptive conduct. She faces up to a year in prison and $200,000 in fines, with her sentencing scheduled for Aug. 12.  She says that she felt compelled by God to drive across country in January 2021 and pray for the nation.  It appears that her only real offense was to enter the capitol building without permission, but Federal prosecutors chose to label her prayers as “disorderly and disruptive conduct.”

On January 6, 2021, Steven Baker, a free-lance journalist from Raleigh, North Carolina, followed a group of people who were surging into the United States Capitol.  He carried no weapon and did no damage.  He observed and reported on the events unfolding in front of him.  Early this year Baker was informed that he was to be arrested on misdemeanor charges in connection with the January 6 affair.  At that point he made arrangements to turn himself in.  When he reported to the FBI office in Dallas he was handcuffed and taken to the courthouse.  There he was put in leg-irons prior to being charged and released on bail. 

The DOJ has been unrelenting in its pursuit of the January 6 rioters and other Biden Administration enemies and seems to derive particular pleasure in humiliating them by means of overaggressive arrests, leg-irons, etc.

Also, District Court jurors appear to have been intimidated or persuaded to march in lock step as they decide the cases of January 6 offenders. Only two defendants have been acquitted of all charges, and those were trials decided by a judge rather than a jury.

It’s a common refrain from some of those charged in the Jan. 6 riot and their Republican allies that the Justice Department is treating them harshly because of their political views while those arrested during the previous year’s protest over racial injustice were given leniency.  Let’s examine the evidence.

The January 6 riot was a one-day affair involving possible 3,000 people, whereas the 2020 riots involved tens of thousands and persisted over a period of months.  According to a recently updated report from the Government Accountability Office, the January 6, 2021, riot caused about $2.7 million in damages to the United States Capitol and environs. The George Floyd inspired riots in 2020 caused damages in the billions of dollars.  Insurance costs alone exceeded $2 billion, and uninsured losses were much higher.

As previously stated, 1,230 people have been charged with federal crimes in the January 6, 2021, affair.  About 750 people have been sentenced, with almost two-thirds receiving some time behind bars. Prison sentences have ranged from a few days of intermittent confinement to 22 years in prison, 

2020 rioters were often prosecuted by state or local authorities, but there were also many serious federal crimes.  Hundreds of riorters and police were injured, and at least 19 persons were killed. Rioters occupied Federal facilities in some cities for weeks on end. According to an AP report in 2021, at least 300 federal cases stemmed from protests over George Floyd’s death. 120 defendants had pleaded guilty or had been convicted of a federal crime, and the 70 who had been sentenced received an average sentence of about 27 months behind bars.  At least 10 received prison terms of five years or more.  Unlike January 6 defendants, many 2020 rioters received deferred resolution agreements, under which prosecutors promise to drop charges after a certain amount of time if the defendant stays out of trouble and completes things like community service.

Differences are obvious in the way 2020 and 2021 defendants have been treated.  And the DOJ continues to pursue January 6 offenders. Authorities are still working to identify more than 80 people wanted for acts of violence at the Capitol and to find out who placed pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic national committees’ offices the day before the Capitol attack.  And the FBI continues to make new arrests, including dangerous felons like the praying grandmother from Colorado and the free-lance journalist from North Carolina. Their cases are playing out at the same courthouse where Donald Trump is scheduled to stand trial for conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss and provoking the Capitol attack.

The fear and hatred of Donald Trump causes the DOJ to violate all norms of conduct in its war against the former President and his supporters.  President Biden and the progressive wing of the Democratic Party have shown themselves ready to abandon the law and all principles of justice in their quest to retain power.  

I pray for a Trump victory on November 5, 2024.