January 6th was bad and the response was worse

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File

The argument that the January 6th riot was particularly bad is based upon the claim that, unlike most riots, it was a direct attack upon the rule of law.

OK, I see the point. Personally, I think the January 6th riot was particularly awful because it was conservatives descending to the sort of tactics routinely embraced by the Left, but I concede that invading the US Capitol in that manner was really awful.

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Having worked in a legislature I have seen this behavior a lot, and all of us should remember the times when Leftists actually occupied state capitols for days on end. Their goal was also to prevent the exercise of legitimate government power.

Teachers taking over Wisconsin Capitol in 2011
Teachers taking over Wisconsin Capitol in 2011

But again, I concede the point. January 6th was a dark day. It is embarrassing, and I hate having to defend anything about it.

But the response of the Democrats, the MSM, and the never-Trumpers has, if anything, been worse.

Why? Because the lawmakers and prosecutors represent the law, and they are using fascistic tactics to “defend the rule of law.”

The January 6th committee was nothing but a propaganda promotion machine, aided and abetted by the media whose sole desire was to smear all Republicans with the taint of the actions of the rioters. In doing so they grossly exaggerated the events of the 6th, falsely claiming that rioters murdered police officers, tried to kill lawmakers, and had the intention to take over the US government.

Worse, the prosecutors have been lying to the courts about the events that happened, and hiding evidence that would, if not exonerate, at least mitigate the guilt of defendants. They have kept defendants in solitary confinement for months and coerced them into guilty pleas.

Some way to defend the rule of law.

None of that was true, and the recent release of videos from the riot has clearly demonstrated.

We all saw the Tucker Carlson video of Jacob Chansley, in which his behavior was not even remotely similar to what was portrayed to the public. That video was withheld from Chansley’s lawyer, crippling the defense. This is illegal, and in a just world, it would vacate his guilty plea. I doubt that will happen.

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Further evidence in his case that was widely available but largely hidden by the MSM shows just how at variance the facts in his case are from the public perception and the narrative promoted by the January 6th committee.

Watch:

That is pretty weird behavior for insurrectionists bent on taking over the government. Dispersing when asked, and thanking the police for their patience.

None of this makes the riot OK, nor does it mean that the rioters shouldn’t be punished.

But they should be punished in line with their actions, and be spoken about truthfully by government officials supposedly defending the rule of law. Political prosecutions are as damaging to the rule of law as breaking into the capitol to protest. Worse, because it is government officials basically proving that the rioters, if not exactly right, have a point.

They were instead, have been vilified, turned into scapegoats and put into solitary confinement in a vain attempt to “get” Donald Trump. It is as shameful as it is a distortion of the very rule of law that is supposedly being defended.

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Anybody watching the various videos of Chansley’s behavior in the capitol cannot conclude anything but that they have been lied to and that Chansley was shafted for purely political reasons.

Because Chansley is a supporter of Donald Trump, he is being destroyed.

In 2020 the George Floyd riots destroyed billions of dollars of property, resulted in the deaths of multiple people, and required the mobilization of the National Guard. Tens of thousands of people participated, yet very few people faced any justice at all for their actions. Vice President Kamala Harris herself raised funds to provide bail money for the rioters in my own city, although she now denies it. My own governor and mayor initially expressed support for the rioters and even allowed them to illegally march on freeways.

Those funds continue to be used to free murderers and rapists, and she is lying. We have the receipts. She and the entire Left mobilized in support of the rioters who were destroying our cities and ruining lives.

I am on board with taking measures to defend the rule of law, but the rule of law has to apply to everybody, not just to Trump supporters. Otherwise, it isn’t the rule of law, but arbitrary punishment for having the “wrong” political views.

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Chansley trespassed at the Capitol and deserves to be punished, as do his fellow rioters.

But so do all rioters, and all of them should be treated by the same rules.

What the January 6th events show is that our political overlords are utterly unconcerned with preserving and promoting the very rule of law they pretend to be defending. Most of us knew that already.

Let’s hope there are more people who get the message that is so clearly being sent by the facts.

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Ed Morrissey 10:00 PM | November 21, 2024
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