NFL
By: Greg Rector
The January 6th committee will make criminal referrals based on the testimony they have been given from over 1000 witnesses. That was confirmed by Rep. Benny Thompson the Chairman of the 1/6 committee. Here’s where we run into the problem I have had with this committee for a long time.
45**’s Responsibility
There was way too much focus on the actions prior to and his inaction on January 6th itself. A Congressional committee does not have the power to charge anyone criminally. They must instead as we have seen make a criminal referral to the Department of Justice. Just so everyone knows I never use that person’s name. The 45th occupant of the White House has not for one moment been worthy of the title that 43 men before him held. Yes, we can agree there have been many other horrific Presidents from James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Andrew Jackson, Franklin Pierce, and many others, but no one was ever as contemptible towards our sacred Constitution as 45** (** denotes twice impeached), was from the moment in 2015 when he came down that escalator in his announcement to be a candidate for the nation’s highest elected office.
Very early on the 1/6 committee had more than enough evidence of 45**’s responsibility in the insurrection. The public was already convinced of that fact by an overwhelming majority. In typical Congressional fashion though and possibly due to Rep. Liz Cheney being the co-chair and her obvious dislike of 45** we were treated to day after day of more proof of his role. We got that point clearly Rep. Cheney and the rest of the committee. There was no need to keep the focus strictly on 45**.
Yes, you also showed some of the others who failed in their roles to prevent what happened on that horrible January day when the crucible of our Republic the Congress of the United States was invaded by his supporters. When the brave men and women of the Capitol Police Department and the D.C. Metro Police were savagely attacked by insurrectionists and those who were committing sedition against what we hold sacred the previous results of a free and fair election. Once that was established there was only a relatively minor move to show that members of the Republican Party in Congress may also have played a role in what happened. There was an issue this committee failed to pursue with vigor.
I ask why? Because as Congress has shown for over 80 years now they really fall down on the job. I speak of both parties in that regard. Congress and only Congress have the authority to declare war. The last time it happened was? In 1942. Since then how many times have America’s sons and daughters been sent to foreign places shedding their blood and sacrificing their lives in defense of the Constitution and the Republic? Instead, we come up with such things as the Gulf of Tonkin resolution in 1965 to justify the Vietnam war, and the now famous “Authorization For Use of Military Force aka AUMF, used to give the executive branch the ability to partake in The Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq. They have also abandoned their responsibility to engage in treaties, especially in the realm of trade relations amongst many of the areas where they have given the executive branch way more authority than the Constitution provides for.
Ever since C-Span and the advent of cable news, members of the House and Senate both have become masters of playing to the television cameras in their various hearings and committee work. This tactic alone has brought out the worst in both sides of Congress. We can go back to the Senate hearings for the failed confirmation of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court, to the horrifying treatment of Anita Hill by the same Senate Judiciary hearings into Associate Justice Clarence Thomas as well. On the House side, the 11 hearings into what happened in Benghazi, Libya, 11 different hearings that ended up with absolutely nothing. Oh and the ridiculousness of impeaching President Clinton instead of doing the right thing under the Constitution and censuring him.
Why They Failed Us
On January 6th, 2021 there were 147 members of the House of Representatives in the Republican party that supported not certifying the 2020 Presidential election results. Despite 60 court rulings that said the election was free, fair, and devoid of the asinine charges of voter fraud from 45** and his cabal. There were several Republican Senators as well determined to go along with the delay tactics. Here are the people that this committee did have the ability to go after and do something about. They failed to do so in any meaningful way. Remember how many members of the House alone sought Presidential pardons in the aftermath of the insurrection? Why would they need a Presidential pardon? Why did they feel guilty almost immediately after the attack on Congress? Many and in my opinion far too many of those House members were just reelected. Those folks not being held accountable is simply an absolute abrogation of the committee and their Constitutional responsibilities. Several members from the Democratic side have expressed their frustration with the sole focus appearing to be 45**, and I agree with them completely. The committee had enough evidence by early in 2022 to refer charges to the Department of Justice and let the DOJ do its job from there. The focus should have shifted to their own House and the Senate. This was an election year and those members of the House and Senate that had involvement in any manner with what happened should all have been referred to the Ethics committees of both bodies. They should have all been investigated and scrutinized by this committee. Instead, we ended up with more “political theatre,” instead of accountability.
Cynicism
No wonder so many people are so cynical of both political parties. Why many feel the system is flawed and it most certainly is. Once again party politics won the day over doing their jobs for the members of this committee. I understand Rep. Cheney’s desire to go after 45**, they did that in spades. It was too narrow a focus, however. The same applies to the leadership in Congress in both parties. There was a time when they held each other accountable, sadly that didn’t happen here. Because this Congress is about to recess and the next Congress in January on the House side will see the Republican Party in control of the House. You want to see how fast an absolutely ridiculous amount of hearings into the current President’s son is going to happen? Wonder how many members would have lost if they had been investigated properly by the January 6th committee and held accountable for their part in the ugliest chapter in the electoral history of the Republic? That’s the sad part of all of this. All the majority of people ask for is for everyone to be held accountable for their actions. Just as we would be as everyday citizens when crimes are committed.
