Trump Pardons “His” Thugs

Lies and propaganda rule on Day One

(Here is a reminder of Trump’s speech immediately after Jan 6, with outtakes)

Hours after his inaugural speech, where he declared “the scales of justice will be rebalanced,” Donald Trump did as promised. He went into full fascist mode as he handed pardons to about 1,500 rioters — a mob he summoned — who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. In Trump’s America, you can attempt a violent coup and get away with it, just as long as your guy gets into the White House.

It’s essential to say here that the January 6 tragedy happened because Trump had, from the moment he lost the 2020 election, lied and lied about how the outcome had been rigged. With one court after another knocking down his claims, his followers, who listened to him and him alone, became ever more enraged. When he summoned them to a rally on the day the election was to be certified, they were primed to act.

More lies came as prosecutors and the courts slowly dealt with the members of the mob. During this time, he and his allies in the press and politics gradually transformed even the most violent of the criminals into martyrs devoted to a just cause. That cause? To stop the certification of the election, which Trump had lost fair and square.

The stunning transformation of the January 6 thugs defies what we saw with our own eyes as news cameras broadcasted the attack from beginning to end. The live video, seen by tens of millions, showed thousands of Trumpists massed before the Capitol and then waging battles with the vastly outnumbered police. Wielding everything from two-by-fours to bear spray to stun guns, they relentlessly attacked until they broke into the building, driving members of the House and Senate to suspend the certification process and flee for safety.

In the investigations that followed, including one I participated in as a member of a special House committee, the facts of what happened on January 6 were documented again and again. By the time we had finished, we understood that:

Millions of people believed Trump’s lies about how the election had been stolen from him.

Promising that it would “be wild,” Trump called his followers to his rally. Many came prepared to use violence in order to halt the certification of the election.

As Trump urged them to mass at the Capitol, they marched shouting slogans including “Hang Mike Pence.” (This referenced the vice president’s refusal to exceed his authority and stop the certification process.)

Rioters attacked the Capitol at several points, forcing the police to retreat. More than 170 officers were injured as the mob prevailed.

As they halted the certification, the attackers broke into offices, occupied the floor of the Senate, and even defecated in the hallways.

Trump watched and waited for more than three hours before calling off the mob.

In the immediate aftermath, Washington seemed to share one view — Trump’s followers had attempted a violent coup. He even called it a “heinous attack.” However, even then the internet was full of voices calling the rioters “patriots” and comparing them to the heroes of the American Revolution. Here were the seeds of the effort that would be made to rewrite history.

In the years after the attack, Trump and his followers focused not on their crimes but on transforming the attackers into victims of the justice system. By the end of last November, a majority of people polled by Politico/Morning Consult said that they expected Trump would pardon them. America, it seemed, knew where this was headed.

The revision of history is a hallmark of fascist leaders who use every method of propaganda available to manipulate the masses with self-serving myths. The fascist’s purpose? To justify extreme actions like mass pardons and normalize political violence. “Go ahead and do it,” Trump is telling tomorrow’s thugs. “I’ve got your back.”

(Quick note: one Jan 6 rioter, Pam Hemphill, who has since repented and worked hard to make amends, has refused Trumps pardon. I give he immense credit. You can find her on Twitter)