Impeaching Trump a second time at this point is a complete useless exercise. No impeachment could happen within two weeks. They should be working on holding hearings leading up eventual charges of treason against the current occupant of the White House. Americans must demand that the incoming president prosecute Trump for his crimes against our country.
The best course of action is for Trump to be charged with sedition (if treason charges are deemed too difficult to prosecute.) Many of those who breached the Capitol stand to be charged with sedition. The term itself has been used repeatedly even by Republicans:
The strength of our republic rests in its norms, norms that have been consistently shredded by the president. The real dangerous precedent would be to ignore acts of sedition, or to merely punish the feckless rioters who took Trump’s attempt to steal the election to heart.
This was a coup attempt, even if it failed. Trump has already threatened more and sustained action, both fundraising, and therefore profiting from this crime, and teasing future attempts to regain the presidency. Failing to pursue sedition charges will allow Trump to continue even after he is out of office. It will also set up a tiered system of justice, encouraging future demagogues to attempt coups, safe in the knowledge that they will not face severe consequences if they fail. If this is not sedition, then there is no such thing. It is our duty to uphold democracy even when others won’t.
Trump can and should be brought on charges once he’s out of office. The main precedent it would set would be that acts of sedition are intolerable, regardless of who commits them. In other words, no-one is above the law. Let the legal system decide whether or not he ought to face jail time. Let justice be served, impartially, and fully.
If the people who invaded the Capitol are charged with sedition then the person who incited the event (or even organized it) should be also included. Trump’s role was even worse:
The top federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia said Thursday that “all options are on the table” for charging members of the violent pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol — including sedition charges.
Michael Sherwin, acting U.S. attorney for D.C., said prosecutors plan to file 15 federal cases on Thursday for crimes including unauthorized access and theft of property, and investigators are combing through reams of evidence to bring additional charges.
“All of those charges are on the table,” he said. “We’re not going to keep anything out of our arsenal for potential charges. We will bring the most maximum charges we can based upon the conduct.”
The consequences of not holding Trump and his followers accountable for their treasonous behavior are too grave to contemplate:
It was on January 6, 2021 that the American republic perhaps entered its first death throes. If there are no consequences for the President of the United States, or his foot soldiers who sacked the national legislature at his direction in an attempt to install him in power for another term, it’s safe to say this is the beginning of the end. They will do this again and it will be worse, even if and when Donald Trump flees to his gaudy members’ club in Florida. If it is not Trump who sees this fascist project to the end and reaps the full bounty of its dark rewards, someone else will. The president brought his people to Washington and, speaking to them in front of the White House, the seat of executive power, he told them in his mafia-don way to march down Pennsylvania Avenue to the seat of the Legislative Branch and show the Enemies their “strength.” His dipshit son and his deranged lawyer were even more explicit when they addressed the crowd. The message was not in doubt. Having failed to persuade a majority of Americans to keep him in power, the president sought to stay there by force.
The 99 Percenters 