He should be removed. Now.
I have nothing more to say today, because I could never say enough right now. You all know what happened at the Capitol following on to Trump egging a crowd on at a midday rally. In fact, he said he’d walk to the Capitol building with them. He didn’t. And if you don’t know, you can read about it here. Or here. (Although I’m sure I’ll have plenty more to say tomorrow.)
So for now, I will share some of the words of a few select others:
Former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis:
“Today’s violent assault on our Capitol, an effort to subjugate American democracy by mob rule, was fomented by Mr. Trump, His use of the Presidency to destroy trust in our election and to poison our respect for fellow citizens has been enabled by pseudo political leaders whose names will live in infamy as profiles in cowardice. Our Constitution and our Republic will overcome this stain and We the People will come together again in our never-ending effort to form a more perfect Union, while Mr. Trump will deservedly be left a man without a country.”
Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper doesn’t mention Trump by name, but Tweets:
“This afternoon’s assault on the US Capitol was appalling and un-American. This is not how citizens of the world’s greatest and oldest democracy behave. The perpetrators who committed this illegal act were inspired by partisan misinformation and patently false claims about the election. This must end now for the good of the republic. I commend Congressional leaders for meeting tonight to complete their Constitutional task of counting the electoral college votes that will affirm Joe Biden as the next president of the United States. As this transition plays out over the next two weeks, I am confident the U.S. military will stay out of politics, and remain true to its sworn oath to support and defend the Constitution, and the American people, as the most trusted and respected institution in the country.”
16-year Republican Washington Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers:
“What happened today and continues to unfold in the nation’s capital is disgraceful and un-American. Thugs assaulted Capitol Police Officers, breached and defaced our Capitol Building, put people’s lives in danger, and disregarded the values we hold dear as Americans. To anyone involved, shame on you.”
Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney:
“Now we gather due to a selfish man’s injured pride, and the outrage of supporters who he has deliberately misinformed for the past two months and stirred to action this very morning. What happened here today was an insurrection incited by the President of the United States….For any who remain insistent on an audit in order to satisfy the many people who believe that the election was stolen, I’d offer this perspective: no congressional audit is ever going to convince these voters, particularly when the President will continue to say that the election was stolen. The best way we could show respect for the voters who were upset is by telling them the truth.”
Here’s the clip of the full, brief speech where Romney said that; it’s worth watching:
Now that kind of says it all. But I want to leave you with just one more:
Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell:
“Nothing before us proves illegality of the massive scale that would have tipped the entire election. Nor can public doubt alone justify a radical break when the doubt was incited without any evidence. The constitution gives us here in Congress a limited role….The voters, the courts, and the states have all spoken. If we overrule them, it would damage our Republic forever. This election was not unusually close. 1976, 2000, and 2004 were all closer than this. The electoral college margin was almost identical to what it was 2016. If this election were overturned by the losing side, our democracy would enter a death spiral.”
Now, McConnell said those words even before seditionists stormed the Capitol building.
He added as a footnote, after Congress came back into session late last night:
“Criminal behavior will never dominate the United States Congress”.
Except, 4 of the 5 above people we quote had some hand in enabling Trump. And his criminal behavior. All serving in his administration, or alongside him, at very least flattering him, supporting him, and using him to achieve their own agendas. Romney has often challenged Trump since his election to the Senate, but it’s near certain would’ve joined Trump’s cabinet had Trump not dangled that prospect, then withdrawn it, just as a way to humiliate him.
Should we credit these people for having the hindsight they now apparently do, but not the foresight, when the perils were obvious to many of us? Looking at it as optimistically as possible: it’s a start to a restoration of civic society.