Chaos Cripples Capitol

Chaos Cripples Capitol
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 7, 2021

For the third time in the history of the US Capitol Building invaders disrupted the activities of the House and Senate. It will forever tarnish the legacy of President Donald Trump, and cost one veteran her life.

On August 24, 1814, on the heels of their victory in the Battle of Bladensburg (MD), British soldiers entered Washington, DC, and among the buildings set ablaze, the largely empty Capitol Building was among them. This followed the August 23 burning of the White House, then known as the Presidential Mansion, famously known for First Lady Dolley Madison running through the building saving the portrait of first President George Washington.

One hundred forty years later, on March 1, 1954, four Puerto Rican nationals, three men and one woman, invaded the House chamber, spraying 30 rounds from semi-automatic pistols wounding five Representatives: Alvin Morell Bentley (R-MI), Clifford Davis (D-TN), George Hyde Fallon (D-MD), Ben F. Jensen (R-IA), and Kenneth A. Roberts (D-AL).

The invasion of the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, perpetrated mostly by supporters of the president, but with evidence of Antifa infiltrators, followed a peaceful rally for Trump at The Ellipse. These miscreants had a goal of disrupting the certification of the Electoral College votes, confirming, officially, the election of Joe Biden (D-DE) President and Kamala Harris (D-CA) Vice President, and as such the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next and from one political party to another.

Following the election of 1800, the nation held its collective breath wondering if there would, for the first time in history, be a peaceful transfer of power from Federalist President John Adams to his Vice President, the Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson defeated his longtime rival and sometimes friend Adams 73 Electoral Votes to 65. However, as there were four candidates for president, Adams was the lesser of Jefferson’s problems. In fact, Aaron Burr also garnered 73 Electoral Votes, sending the election to the House for a decision. After not one, not two, but 36 ballots, Jefferson became President-elect. Of note, Adams did not attend Jefferson’s inauguration.

For the first time in 220 years, that there would be a peaceful transfer of power was in doubt. On this date, January 6, the protesters ostensibly stormed the Capitol Building, attempting to breach the closed door to the House chamber. A couple windows would be broken, and sadly, one woman would be shot and killed. Ashli Babbitt of San Diego, a 14-year Air Force veteran and Trump supporter, died at the hands of Capitol police. 
Babbitt tweeted, a day before the “Stop the Steal” rally “Nothing will stop us… they can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours… dark to light.” According to several witnesses, Babbitt did absolutely nothing warranting getting shot, nor was she a threat to officers.

The following morning her husband, Aaron Babbitt, spoke with KSWB San Diego. “Joining up with people, like-minded people that also loved their president and their country. And she was voicing her opinion. And she got killed for it.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power.”

In addition to the ruckus going on inside the Capitol Building, created by a few hundred people, outside the building many thousands behaved wildly creating a scene of total chaos reminiscent of downtown Beirut or Kabul, not the capital of the greatest nation on earth “a Republic, if you can keep it,” as Benjamin Franklin said leaving the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

One of the aspects of the certification of the Electoral College votes in a joint session of Congress, is the allowance for legal challenges which include calls for an audit of the voting process in the several states. Such challenges require a letter supported by at least one member of the House and one from the Senate. Several states were called out for such objections - Arizona and Pennsylvania while Nevada and Wisconsin lost their Senator support in light of the violent breach of the Capitol. 

These challenges became necessary, to those bringing them forth, due to accusations of voter fraud, witnesses being removed from the vote counting rooms, votes cast by the deceased, those who moved from that state, and a lack of purging from the voter rolls of those who should no longer be listed. There were also accusations of votes being cast illegally by felons, and by people whose signatures did not match the official registration forms. President Trump had maintained and continued to ascertain the occurrence of such fraud from the time the media declared Biden the winner. Continued rallies and speeches by Trump calling for recounts, the issuance of lawsuits, and calling the election stolen from him played to his base, as they remained loyal to Trump. Perhaps those sentiments and the inability to accept the decisions of the Electoral College led to the riot at the Capitol.

While I believe chicanery ran rampant in the 2020 presidential election, I applaud both Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) for their words and actions. Although Pence and Cruz may have been at loggerheads in those words and actions, both followed the Constitution and should be recognized for that. Loggerheads because “It is my considered judgement that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not,” said Pence, which in turn disappointed Trump who believed Pence could and should unilaterally overturn the voice of the people and the vote of the Electoral College. 
 
Trump tweeted, “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!” The truth is, Mr. President, Vice President Pence followed the path exactly as laid out by the Constitution of the United States.
Cruz, on the other hand, challenged the Electoral College votes of several states, as the most vociferous objector, perhaps along with Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), also among their rights according to the same Constitution.

Because of his outspoken stance regarding the certification of the Electoral College votes, Hawley faced extreme backlash from Antifa or Antifa-like protesters showing up at his home terrorizing his wife and newborn baby - in the dead of night, calling them out, making all sorts of noise even after neighbors called police. Hawley appropriately called the trespassing thugs “scumbags.”

Cruz, Hawley, and the other GOP objector members should not be bullied into standing down, but should represent those 74-plus million Trump voters with increased vigor. However, in light of the devastating actions taken by several hundred domestic terrorists, many having been Trump supporters, but others who have also been identified as Antifa infiltrators, many of the slated objections were rescinded.
 
Yes, domestic terrorism, defined, as per 28CFR (Code of Federal Regulation), as “the unlawful use of force against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”

I voted for Donald Trump - twice. But where was President Trump? He should have been on national television telling everyone to disperse and go home. These are mostly his supporters who attended a peaceful rally - “Stop the Steal” rally. That was peaceful. Peaceful protests - yes - all day long - that's patriotism. What followed was in no way peaceful. It's sad to say these are mostly hypocritical people who claim to be peaceful protesters, law and order supporters. The vandals, and other criminals, many of whom have been caught on camera breaking windows, scaling the Capitol Building, carrying off a Congressional podium, sitting in the chairs of the Speaker of the House and the Senate president, as well as trespassing in the inner offices of several members of both houses, should not only be arrested, but made to make restitution for destruction of the People's House. These hooligans should not have sunk to the level of BLM and Antifa. They have damaged the reputation of a movement that, heretofore, has been non-violent. And that is not patriotic. 
 
Taking personal offense specifically by the pinhead sitting in the chair of the Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich said “this is the center for freedom for the whole planet.” Gingrich had every right to be offended as he earned the right to sit in that chair having been elected to serve as Speaker of the House twice, from 1995-99 as a Republican Representative from Georgia.
 
It should be noted that the Washington Times reported spotting members of Antifa having infiltrated the mob. Certain hand gestures, tattoos, and modes of dress were their “tells.” Dressing in all black with hoods, tattoos with hammer and sickle were dead giveaways.
 
Regardless of who committed what crimes, these acts were egregious and destruction of government property is punishable with upwards of a 10 year prison sentence. The FBI stepped in asking people to identify those involved in the Capitol chaos, yet their sense of urgency did not seem to reach this level during the summer regarding the arson, looting, rioting, attacking and even the killing of innocent people in places like Kenosha, Minneapolis, New York City, Portland, Seattle, and Washington, DC.
 
I appreciated Biden making comments about the outrageous invasion at the Capitol Building, however, let the record show he too is a hypocrite for not offering the same appropriate condemnation of Antifa and BLM for the aforementioned crimes. Biden said that words of the president can both inspire and incite. His later words, along with those of Harris should definitely be considered inciting. Both Democrats said straight out that were BLM involved in the Capitol melee, they would be treated differently, implying that BLM would receive harsher treatment than that which was meted out on January 6. False. With targets on the backs of white police officers and phone cameras in everyone’s hands, BLM’s criminal behavior has mostly been overlooked. After all, for Exhibits A through E, see the above mentioned cities that fell prey to destruction this past summer. And in DC, especially false; in a city run by a black mayor, black police chief, and a majority black police force.  It’s important to remember, the police did not force Antifa or BLM to do anything. They acted under their own volition. 

More inciting words. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) compared the Capitol protesters to al-Qaeda on 9-11. Such extreme words would unlikely be uttered by Hoyer defining Antifa/BLM activities.  Additionally, the Congressional Democrats blocked a resolution condemning violence this past summer at the hands of Antifa and BLM.

Yet, I again wonder where President Trump was - he enjoys his camera time, and this would be the perfect opportunity to demonstrate real leadership.

“These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!” tweeted Trump late in the afternoon, which seemed like an afterthought.

Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) demonstrated false indignation, first accusing Americans of “breaking into that building,” referring to the Capitol Building, which is open to the public. The questions she should have asked is how did so many people get past security or was security asleep at the switch? How did these thugs breach the Capitol perimeter? Bowser, never letting a crisis go to waste, suggested she was more upset about the activities at the Capitol than those perpetrated by Antifa and BLM throughout the summer. She also used her soapbox to beg for DC statehood, which is unconstitutional; but that’s an argument for another column.

The confluence of being bamboozled into believing there was a genuine chance of overturning the November election results, foisted upon Trump supporters by Trump himself, declaring voter fraud at every turn, and the frustration of being in Washington, DC on the day the Electoral College vote was being certified, lit the torch that many figuratively carried to the Capitol Building with their “pitchforks” and anger won out. To be fair, I too believe the Presidential election was rife with fraud.

But is Trump really to blame? This is a man who was ridiculed from the moment he and First Lady Melania traversed the escalator at Trump Towers in 2015. The media has been an unabashed arm of the Democrat Party, not even attempting to hide their biases. Then there’s 2016 Trump opponent Hillary Clinton who called Trump supporters “deplorables.” That went over like a lead balloon. Congressional Democrats called for the impeachment of Trump before he even took the oath of office; and when they finally brought impeachment charges, a party line vote sent it to the Senate for a trial where Trump was ultimately vindicated. Don’t forget the antagonistic and disgraceful display Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) made by publicly tearing up her copy of President Trump’s State of the Union address almost 11 months ago to the day. Media and Democrats constantly denigrating half the country. Constantly being demonized as rubes, white supremacists, Nazis, Nationalists - in a bad way, rednecks, and uneducated eventually takes its toll. Not to mention faux conservatives not supporting their constituencies. 

But make no mistake - Trump did not tell anybody to storm the Capitol Building, nor did he encourage them to do so. That they were able to breach the perimeter of the Capitol also is not the fault of Trump. That security may have been weak, is on Capitol police. Capitol Police Chief and the Sergeant of Arms both resigned with more heads to roll. Biden is right about one thing - there should be an investigation. While I in no way condone or endorse the behavior and actions that occurred inside the Capitol, and all involved should be charged and prosecuted for their various crimes, that it happened is not a total shock. These were not the actions of patriotic Americans, but instead thugs hell bent on destruction, those from Antifa with the goal of destroying Trump’s legacy. To be sure, what unfolded was a frightening scene that would normally be relegated to cable news footage from any number of Third World countries, not the United States, the beacon of Democracy.

All the comparisons to Antifa and BLM are not to defend the actions of the miscreant thugs at the Capitol Building, but instead to shine a bright light on the hypocrisy of those who appropriately called out those miscreant thugs while remaining silent during the summer of violence.

“Trump and I had a hell of a journey, but enough is enough. When it’s over, it’s over. It’s over,” said Lindsey Graham (R-SC), an important Trump ally in the Senate.

Trump later offered another tweet coming from the Twitter account of Dan Scavino, Trump’s Social Media Director, as Trump’s account has been suspended. “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20.” Clearly that falls under the category of “way too little, way too late.”

My other major concern is the loss of the Senate and the freewheeling radical legislation and maneuvering to be attempted by the progressives, socialists, and liberals. The Green New Deal, court packing, abortion on demand through full term, the rolling back of the Trump tax cuts and new taxes to boot, granting statehood to the District of Columbia - which is unconstitutional, but that won’t stop the progressives, statehood for Puerto Rico, and increased censorship - see the new House rules - the 117th Congress has only been on the job about a week. (Should DC and PR actually become states, aside from the economic burden to be placed on the federal government and our pockets, there will be four Democrat senators in perpetuity, and the Republican Party won’t see the inside of the White House for generations to come, lest ye take the tour.) The time is now to prepare for the 2022 midterms - the GOP MUST come out swinging with strong, solid conservative candidates; not the limp-wristed, genuflecting RINOS occupying far too many Senate and House seats. Honor Trump and revitalize his legacy by winning back the House and Senate in 2022, and then the White House in 2024. Give the voters a clear choice of conservatives who believe in the rule of law, the Constitution, American ideals, the value of life, Capitalism instead of Socialism, Democracy instead of censorship and tyranny, freedom instead of perpetual lockdowns, as well as free speech and religious liberty.
 
I close with one of my favorite quotes from the Gipper himself, former President Ronald Reagan. “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” May  G-d save the Union.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.