Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Committee Vice Chair U.S. Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) look on during the public hearing of the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 9, 2022. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
The final hearing of the House Select Committee to investigate the January 6 insurrection was held on Thursday, October 13. It presented evidence that showed (1) how Republican Congressmen had enabled the insurrection by failing to hold Trump accountable for egregious violations, (2) Trump is a dangerous psychopath who will not stop at murder, and (3) the severe problem we have with the willingness of some law enforcement officers to uphold law and order for groups they do not think deserve it. The hearing confirmed three conclusions about these issues I had drawn and written about in my book, American Strife.
First, the committee showed a video of both Democratic and Republican House and Senate leaders being held in an undisclosed location for their safety. The members were on their phones trying to arrange for Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia national guard to restore order. In this setting, Republicans were aware of the danger they all faced. Within two days, some Republican leaders were making excuses for the insurrectionists who had threatened their lives. In American Strife, I examine the motivations of Republicans who, on the one hand, sing the praises of democracy while engaging in actions that will undermine it.
Second, despite Trump's public statements to the contrary, the committee revealed that Trump knew he lost the 2020 presidential election but was intent on convincing the public that he won. The purpose of this big lie was to set the stage for the overthrow of the election results. The committee presented compelling evidence that Trump was involved in planning the overturn. Trump incited thousands of his followers to Washington on the day the election results were to be certified. Trump knew that many of his followers were armed and intent on killing his Vice-President Mike Pence and Democratic leaders. If the deaths of these leaders had occurred, Trump would have been able to declare a national emergency and remain in power. In American Strife, I present psychological evidence showing that Trump is not simply a narcissist but a psychopathic personality.
Third, the violence that occurred on January 6 was partly due to the failure of various law enforcement agencies to act on the information that they had gathered about the planned violence. The Secret Service and the FBI had precise information about who was planning to breach the Capitol and the murders they intended to commit once inside. These premier law enforcement agencies failed to act on this information. And in hearings after January 6, these law enforcement agencies' leadership was not forthcoming about what they knew. The question is whether they were a part of a cover-up or simply covering for their agencies. In American Strife, I talk about white supremacists' infiltration of law enforcement agencies and the difficulty in rooting them out. As January 6 and the many suspicious shootings of blacks by police officers show, law enforcement is now considered a commodity, either good or bad, that police mete out to favored or unfavored tribes.
First, the committee showed a video of both Democratic and Republican House and Senate leaders being held in an undisclosed location for their safety. The members were on their phones trying to arrange for Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia national guard to restore order. In this setting, Republicans were aware of the danger they all faced. Within two days, some Republican leaders were making excuses for the insurrectionists who had threatened their lives. In American Strife, I examine the motivations of Republicans who, on the one hand, sing the praises of democracy while engaging in actions that will undermine it.
Second, despite Trump's public statements to the contrary, the committee revealed that Trump knew he lost the 2020 presidential election but was intent on convincing the public that he won. The purpose of this big lie was to set the stage for the overthrow of the election results. The committee presented compelling evidence that Trump was involved in planning the overturn. Trump incited thousands of his followers to Washington on the day the election results were to be certified. Trump knew that many of his followers were armed and intent on killing his Vice-President Mike Pence and Democratic leaders. If the deaths of these leaders had occurred, Trump would have been able to declare a national emergency and remain in power. In American Strife, I present psychological evidence showing that Trump is not simply a narcissist but a psychopathic personality.
Third, the violence that occurred on January 6 was partly due to the failure of various law enforcement agencies to act on the information that they had gathered about the planned violence. The Secret Service and the FBI had precise information about who was planning to breach the Capitol and the murders they intended to commit once inside. These premier law enforcement agencies failed to act on this information. And in hearings after January 6, these law enforcement agencies' leadership was not forthcoming about what they knew. The question is whether they were a part of a cover-up or simply covering for their agencies. In American Strife, I talk about white supremacists' infiltration of law enforcement agencies and the difficulty in rooting them out. As January 6 and the many suspicious shootings of blacks by police officers show, law enforcement is now considered a commodity, either good or bad, that police mete out to favored or unfavored tribes.