15 steps on the road to Jan. 6

Thought for the day

In case you have forgotten, the president-elect's oath of office is quite clear.  Here it is:  "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

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If you haven't been paying attention to the House Select Committee's investigation of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol -- because you thought the committee was too partisan in its makeup or that the witnesses called were biased, or for any other reason -- here, as a public service, are the facts as I understand them.  Feel free to disagree if you wish.

1)  Before all the votes had been counted, and over the objections of his campaign aides, Donald Trump declared on election night 2020 he had been re-elected; 

2)  Almost immediately afterwards, Trump told his supporters the only way he could lose was if the results were rigged (i.e., that the election was stolen); 

3)  Knowing that Joe Biden had been declared the winner of the 2020 election, Trump's legal team began filing claims of voter fraud in more than 60 courts;

4)  Every court but one rejected Trump's legal challenges.  In many of those cases, the judges were Trump appointees;

5)  On Dec. 14, the Electoral College officially declared Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election;

6)  Despite that announcement, Donald Trump continued to tell his supporters the election was stolen;

7)  Trump's personal calls to election officials -- like Republicans Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger and Arizona House speaker Rusty Bowers -- failed to produce the votes the president was seeking in order to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election in their states;

8)  According to White House counsel Pat Cipollone, discussions inside the Oval Office on Dec. 18 centered on the creation of alternative (fake) electors pledged to Trump;

9)  In the wee hours of Dec. 19, Trump tweeted to his followers, "Big protest in D.C. on Jan. 6. Be there, will be wild."  Members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers militia groups testified they interpreted the president's message as a call to arms;

10) In the run-up to Jan. 6, the day the Constitution requires the Vice President to certify the results of the 2020 election, Trump, Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman began focusing their attention on Mike Pence;

11) During his Jan. 6 speech on the Ellipse, Trump implored Pence to reject the Electoral College results and return them to the states for another counting; 

12) With the intention of preventing or delaying the certification of the 2020 election, Trump urged his followers at the Ellipse, many of whom were armed and angry, to march to the Capitol; 

13) Once there, the mob of thousands quickly turned violent.  They injured approximately 150 peace officers, broke barriers and windows, entered the Capitol, and then rampaged through the halls of Congress;

14) According to the FBI, approximately 900 people have been indicted and/or arrested for their involvement in the attack on the Capitol; and,

15) During last night's Jan. 6 congressional hearing, numerous White House insiders told the House committee former president Trump watched the rioters on TV for 3 hours before issuing a statement to end their siege of the Capitol and go home.

Which brings me back to a president-elect's oath of office.  Let me know if you truly believe Donald Trump protected and defended the Constitution on Jan. 6, 2021.

-DF