The Capitol, Washington, D.C.

From Bret Stephens of the New York Times on 1/16/2021:

“If Conservatives want to have a moral leg to stand on as they condemn  a siege of a federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, or a police station in Minneapolis, they have an obligation to impeach Trump now.

The institutional case is clear:

  • The president attacked the states, in their right to set their own election procedures.
  • He attacked the courts—state as well as federal, in their right to settle the election challenges brought before them.
  • He attacked the Congress, in its right to conduct orderly business free of ear.
  • He attacked the vice president, in his obligation to fulfill his duties under the 12th Amendment.
  • He attacked the American people, in their right to choose the electors who choose the president.

From Liz Cheney, third-ranking House Republican, following the insurrection of January 6th:

“On January 6th, 2021, a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes.  The insurrection caused injury, death, and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic.

Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough.  The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack.  Everything that followed was his doing.  None of this would have happened without the President.  The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. (*Trump did not intervene for 2 full hours.) There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.

I will vote to impeach the President.”

Editor’s Note: Far-right sites “buzz” has been about further insurrection to take place on 1/17. What? Where? Unclear at this time, but a man was apprehended trying to enter the Capitol area with 500 rounds of ammunition for his fire-arm and fake Inauguration documents.