The opening salvo tossed by the 1/6 Committee last night perfectly illustrates what your mom or dad asked you as a kid; if lil’ Donnie jumped off a cliff, would you? Would it absolve you of responsibility by using the excuse, but Donnie did it first. The committee used a masterfully choreographed presentation of video and audio clips of Trump confidants, including his daughter Ivanka. Collectively they called the former President a liar more than once. We heard there was “no there, there.” The former President’s contention of a rigged election was all b.s. said Bill Barr. The death of his VP or any other politician who dared cross him was of no concern. Former AG Bill Barr, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Jason Miller, and I am sure future witnesses tried to pull Mr. Trump back from his fairytale.
When Thelma nodded to Louise to step on it, the current Republican party would try and grab onto the bumper. Even people on the peripheral cannot help but inch toward the canyon’s edge. Washington Commander’s assistant football coach Jack Del Rio found himself embroiled in controversy yesterday, attempting to hide his affinity for Donald Trump. Del Rio’s retweet about the insurrection, “…why the summer of riots, looting, burning and the destruction of personal property is never discussed but this is ???” Even if you believe coach Del Rio’s assertion that it is fair to ask the question, he destroyed any semblance of objectivity and credibility by calling January 6 a “dust-up.”
His comments came before the testimony of Capitol Police officer Caroline Edwards last night. The narrative did not change at the conclusion of the opening night of hearings, just confirmation by the details. Still, to anyone willing to look, plenty of footage and testimony exists to belie a mere dust-up. Officer Edwards returned humanity to the equation last night. Her determination to hold back her tears, her resolve to explain her patriotism, and her tenacity in the face of danger was compelling and honest. When she talked about—with a tension-relieving giggle—saying to her sergeant that they would need more people than the five holding off the marauding crowd, you immediately acknowledged her tenaciousness. When she talked of donning the uniform to proudly protect the Capitol and members of Congress to taunts questioning her patriotism, she leaned on the honor of her grandfather—a marine who served in Korea. Most compelling was when she talked about the lack of color in the face of the late officer Brian Sicknick. She said she has seen people pepper-sprayed, and their faces would turn red but in this case—holding up a piece of white note paper, he looked like this, she recalled. A day later, Officer Sicknick died of what was diagnosed as a stroke.
Today, I expect to see a phalanx of Trumpeteers, heads bobbing and mouths moving to the orders of the dear leader. Mr. Trump’s supporters know he is a liar, but not only were they fooled by the Big Lie, they now must come to terms that the Big Lie was told by a Big Liar. If you do not believe me, ask Ivanka Trump. When asked if she believed AG Barr, who said her father lost the election, “It affected my perspective. I respect Attorney General Bill Barr. So I accepted what he was saying,”she said.
Continue to Vote for Change.