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Donald Trump needs to legally be held accountable for directing what President-elect Joe Biden calls a "mob of thugs" in a violent assault, an armed insurrection, against our country by storming the U.S. Capitol. Trump incited marauding homegrown terrorists to uncontrollably rampage our sanctuary of liberty in to a bloodbath of ugliness. I have a sick vision in my mind of Trump manically cackling in The White House for what he was instrumental in birthing, and then mentally masturbating for creating the chaotic crisis that resulted from a savagely orchestrated siege on the predominant citadel of our nation's democracy, and an unconscionable attack on the chambers that house our elected Members of Congress. Wednesday, January 6th, 2021 will be remembered forever as a hideous and dark day in the history of the United States, as people who identify themselves as Americans tried to crush the harmonious and tranquil transition of power from the outgoing Trump to the newly-elected Joe Biden.
The Capitol was in total lockdown as senators and House representatives were forced to evacuate the hallowed halls where they have sworn under oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic." I don't think they - nor anyone else - would have expected those domestic enemies to be angry Trump supporters, riled up by Trump himself, to literally come after our nation's lawmakers. Let's not forget that it is Trump - when reciting the Presidential Oath of Office - who promised to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution." But "45" betrayed that pledge when he institgated a bloodthirsty band of beasts to brutally and barbarically invade the stately and sacred seat of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government.
For weeks, Trump extended his personal invitation - nay solicitation - to his loyal devotees and any other people
who believe that it was he who should be declared the winner of the
2020 presidential election and, therefore, award him with a second
term. Trump, since Election Day on November 3rd, 2020, has spread
venomous falsehoods - downright vile lies - that the election was stolen
by fraudulent votes. Trump also asserted that he needs only his vice
president to remain on his good side and that Mike Pence could
unilaterally overturn the results of the election. But if Trump ever read the U.S. Constitution, he would know that's not true.
When the crowd was gathered outside The White House for a rally, in the noontime hour of January 6th, Trump, in essence, commanded the people to head up the street - up Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC - to let Congress know exactly how they feel. Trump's words: "We will never concede. It doesn't happen. You don't concede when there's theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore...You will have an illegitimate president...This is what you will have, and we can't let that happen...We will stop the steal...If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore." This rowdy group of of rabble-rousers were already emblazed with fire and fury; having amassed on the Ellipse since early morning. But it's not uncommon for Donald Trump to add fuel to an intense inferno. This time, the "arsonist-in-chief" lit a match and tossed it into a tank of gasoline, and thus an explosion of irate rioters ran amok through The Capitol in a shameful demonstration that they hoped would validate an election-losing president who relentlessly lies about a "landslide" win for himself. With emotions high, police officers and National Guard soldiers - complete with tear gas - were summoned, and with guns drawn, Washington, DC was reminiscent of past civil unrest and disobedience throughout Europe.
I have written in columns for four years that Donald Trump is reckless and a threat to our country. What more do Republicans need to see before they finally abandon this unbalanced and unhinged tyrant. And that's exactly what Trump is; a tyrant - a person in a position of authority who exercises power unjustly. It's more than five-and-a-half years since he announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination, and so long before he was actually nominated in 2016, I labeled Trump "mentally ill and unfit to serve as president of the United States." Why couldn't everyone else see that Trump is a malicious monster who was growing bigger as they were feeding him with praise and applause? Anyone who can't recognize Trump today to be similar to an organized crime kingpin or an authoritarian dictator is blind to the truth. From time to time, I have reminded my readers about June 15th, 2018. It is well-worth and appropriate for some repetition again. It was on that day when Trump - in a serious tone - told Fox News that he wants Americans to treat him as North Koreans do Kim Jong-un. "He's the head of a country, and I mean, he's the strong head. Don't let anyone think different. He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same." Republicans wanted to spin it that Trump was joking. It is not at all funny for the president of the United States to jest that he wants to be dictator. But Trump has proved over and over that he was not kidding around. As such, no decent, patriotic American should accept what Trump gave rise to, which spawned in to a gang of goons who molested our nation's democracy. At this point, any American who approves Trump's ruthless and sadistic behavior needs to re-think their own citizenship because defending him is tantamount to being a traitor to our country.
These revolutionists - some weaponized with guns, explosive devices and even a Confederate flag - raided, ravaged and ransacked congressional offices. They climbed The Capitol's scaffolding, and used flag poles, crutches and homemade battering rams to knock down doors and smash windows. Swarming like wild, killer bees, the rebels vandalized and stole
personal items from offices, including laptop computers. One person ripped off Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's gavel, while another individual who broke into the California Democrat's suite was photographed sitting in her chair with his feet on her desk. That man was arrested on Friday, January 8th. But what prompted these people to act like shipboard mutineers? They were encouraged by a villainous madman, a dangerously deranged demagogue who stimulated an incendiary disruption of our democracy in a futile attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election on the day when our congressional legislators and the vice president of the United States were scheduled to perform their constitutional duty under the 12th Amendment to certify and confirm the Electoral College votes from the contest between Republican Trump and
actions developed in to deaths. Many people were injured, but six people are dead - including two U.S. Capitol Police officers - that would still be alive today if Trump had graciously conceded the election to President-elect Biden. As such, Trump is largely responsible for six fatalities, as well as for police officers being beaten by mobsters with steel pipes on the steps of The Capitol. And yet, shockingly, there are people throughout the United States who still worship him; who raise Trump high atop that pedestal of profanity and perversion that I've written about in the past. It's totally unbelievable. And just when I think I've seen everything, there's a video being aired on the TV networks, and circulating on the Internet, of a Capitol Police officer taking selfies with rioters after they crashed through to the inside of The Capitol Building. That policeman has been suspended. About a dozen other officers are being investigated for taking an active part in the riot. Note to cops: they're not celebrities. They're nefarious lawbreakers.
because a makeshift gallows was constructed, including a dangling noose.
Trump publicly castigated Pence, berating him for not taking a stand to overturn the election before presiding over the Senate for the Electoral College confirmation. But there was nothing constitutionally that Pence could have done. He knows it, but Trump refuses to believe it. Pence did his job, and he obeyed the law. Still, Trump told supporters at the rally outside The White House earlier that day, "So I hope Mike has the courage to do what he has to do."
Will Donald Trump resign, or will there be enough Republicans in the Senate who will join Democrats in convicting Trump after the House of Representatives undoubtedly impeaches him for the second time? The clock is ticking away as Democrats in the House race toward impeaching Trump. Speaker Pelosi gave Trump an ultimatum. Resign or else face House impeachment again and another trial in the Senate. Mrs. Pelosi feels Trump is "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office," thus Articles of Impeachment titled "Incitement of Insurrection" were introduced on Monday, January 11th. The measure - which is co-sponsored by more than 200 Democrats - charges "Donald John Trump with engaging in High Crimes and Misdemeanors by willfully inciting violence against the government of the United States." The document says Trump "gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of government. He thereby betrayed his trust as president, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States." Under the Articles of Impeachment, Democrats are looking to prevent Trump from seeking the presidency at any time again in the future. The U.S. Constitution limits a president to two, four-year terms, whether they are consecutive or not. If the House - by simple majority - impeaches Trump, and if the Senate were to convict him with the 67 necessary votes - a two-thirds majority - it would then only take a simple majority of 51 votes, or a 50/50 tie of senators plus a vote by the vice president to bar Trump from serving in any future federal office.
It took Donald Trump six days to speak out in public (video taped messages don't count) since the malevolent melee at The Capitol, but on Tuesday, January 12th, Trump didn't offer one bit of regret or remorse for his part. Talking with reporters at The White House, Trump didn't condemn his supporters for the deadly bedlam. In fact, he defended the remarks he made at the rally earlier in the day, prior to the siege, and Trump refuses to admit that he was wrong. But then, of course, Trump never admits any failure or any mistakes. So it's not a surprise that he won't take any responsibility this time. But his words mattered to the crowd. "You'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong." Trump, on January 12th, told reporters, "If you read my speech...people thought that what I said was totally appropriate." Really?
But who's going to be vice president, if and when Trump goes to trial before the Senate? If the trial is before January 20th, then the vice president is Mike Pence. However, if the trial is after January 20th - after Trump has left office and Joe Biden is president - then Kamala Harris will be vice president. Why is this important? Well, there is a huge controversy whether Trump can be impeached and convicted AFTER he's no longer president. Some constitutional scholars believe a president can only be impeached while in office. Other legal experts think that if the House impeaches Trump before President-elect Biden moves into The Oval Office, that the Senate can proceed with a trial even though Trump's name is not on The White House letterhead. And, there's a third school of thought; that the entire process - impeachment proceedings by the House, and a Senate trial - need not even start until Trump's presidency is all said and done. No matter how it's achieved, Donald Trump needs to be punished. The U.S. Constitution says the Senate has "the sole power to try all impeachments." But without an impeachment, there is no trial. The House is scheduled to vote to impeach Trump on Wednesday, January 13th, and accomplishing that task is almost certain. A Senate trial and a conviction is not likely unless it's after Trump is already gone from The White House, and The West Wing is occupied by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Speaker Pelosi - following the seditious scene on Capitol Hill - suggested that Mike Pence, as the current vice president, move in a forward direction to invoke the 25th Amendment, which is another avenue for removing a president from office. But Pence opposed such a notion, and in a letter to Mrs. Pelosi on Tuesday, January 12th, Pence wrote that he would not use the 25th Amendment against Donald Trump. The following is just part of his correspondence to Speaker Pelosi. "With just eight days left in the President's term, you and the Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment. I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution." Pence went on to say, "I urge you and every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment. Work with us to lower the temperature and unite our country as we prepare to inaugurate President-elect Joe Biden as the next President of the United States. I pledge to you that I will continue to do my part to work in good faith with the incoming administration to ensure an orderly transition of power. So help me God." Using the 25th Amendment as a way to get rid of Trump before President-elect Biden is sworn in as president, would require Pence and a majority of the presidential cabinet to agree that Trump is not fit to serve as president.
Despite Pence's letter, the House of Representatives, later that night, voted to approve a resolution that would have formally requested to Pence that he and the Cabinet use the 25th Amendment. The measure passed mostly along partisan lines, 223 to 205, and was merely a ceremonial, symbolic gesture for the record books and history. Democrats in Congress - not to mention others across America - believe Trump is an imminent risk to the safety and security of our nation. A telephone call that reportedly lasted more than three hours on January 8th was rather decisive as Democrats voiced near-unanimous support to impeach Trump. But do Republicans in the House and Senate have the patriotism to finally put country over Trump? As a body, they have never shown one ounce of courage to protect the United States if it meant Trump would be impaired, dishonored, or weakened in any way. Guarding Trump's dignity was their only concern; not the rule of law. But Donald Trump is not dignified, and has never been. Dedication and devotion to America was not ever on the minds of congressional Republicans; only their allegiance to Trump. Perhaps now will be different. But I wouldn't bet my life on it...or the farm.
Speaker Pelosi also communicated to her fellow Democrats in a letter on January 8th, in which she wrote, "The situation of this unhinged president could not be more dangerous, and we must do everything that we can to protect the American people from his unbalanced assault on our country and our democracy." If Trump is impeached, he will be the only president impeached twice.
"Trump needs to resign." Those four words have been my words for a very long time. Most recently - Thursday, January 7th - I posted those four words on Facebook. But Trump has never taken responsibility for his wickedly evil deeds and his depraved demeanor. Trump's attitude is that he's "a very stable genius" who can do no wrong. Therefore, why would he ever admit to committing a crime and that he should resign? Perhaps it would take a scenario similar to when President Richard Nixon was
Regular readers of The Controversy are well aware that I have predicted for quite some time that Trump would resign the presidency before the 2020 election or, if he lost - which he did - then before the inauguration of Joe Biden. But even if outgoing House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, outgoing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and other senior Republicans tell Trump that resignation is the best option for himself and the people of the United States, instead of putting us through another impeachment plus a very possible conviction, I seriously wonder whether Trump would care. His narcissism and egotism will likely convince Trump that he's still covered in Teflon and a conviction would never stick.
Many people have come to the same conclusion that I have been writing about for years, that Donald Trump is off the wall and, therefore, he cannot be trusted. Plainly put, certainly he cannot be trusted with the nuclear codes, whereby he could possibly launch a nuclear strike against a foreign foe. That said, I've never trusted Trump with anything. However, no U.S. president should have the power to unilaterally start a nuclear war. No president should be allowed - on his own - to give an order to fire those missiles, which would kill millions and millions of people. Giving one single person, one individual - especially one who has proven to be irrational, delusional, irresponsible and paranoid - the authority to end humanity as we know it, should not be permitted by any country, but certainly not the United States of America. There needs to be checks and balances in place in our country so that Trump - and any future presidents - have their hands tied from "pushing the button" without consulting first with specific members of his Cabinet and specific Members of Congress. It's disturbing to think that one person has the power to "pull the plug," so to speak, and render us lifeless.
Some law enforcement officials - as well as some politicians - are worried that right-wing extremists might want to make an encore appearance at the Inauguation of President-elect Biden and Vice-President-elect Harris on January 20th. The U.S. Secret Service is in charge of security at America's 59th Presidential Inauguration, and they - along with U.S. Capitol Police - are taking extra precautions for the safety of Mr. Biden, Ms. Harris and everyone who attends the event, including a 9-foot high perimeter fencing around The Capitol. "Chilling" threats are reportedly keeping security officials and other law enforcement agencies working overtime in preparation for the inauguration. There are more people with badges and guns on this detail than probably ever before in U.S. history, and President-elect Biden told reporters on January 8th that he has "great confidence in the Secret Service" so that the inauguration will go off "safely." With the United States still battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden-Harris Inauguration was expected to not be as grandiose as past presidential inaugurations. But even though the festivities would have been reshaped and scaled back because of the coronavirus, security will reportedly be intensified even more, to be completely safe for everybody. Meanwhile, officials in all 50 state capitals are on alert for possible armed protests between now and the Presidential Inauguration.
The FBI has made dozens of arrests and agents are working tirelessly to identify other individuals who rioted at The Capitol. A video that was shot by a member of the Proud Boys, who participated in the attack, surfaced on January 8th, with the member's first-hand account being descirbed on the recording and, therefore, it could be used as evidence against the group. For those who don't know, the Proud Boys is a far-right, neo-fascist, and male-only political organization that - as described on Wikipedia - "promotes and engages in political violence in the United States and Canada."
You might recall it was in Cleveland, Ohio on September 29th, 2020 at the first Joe Biden/Donald Trump presidential debate, moderated by Chris Wallace of Fox News, when Trump announced, "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by." The aforementioned video was broadcast as part of a report by chief investigative reporter Dan Noyes of
KGO-TV/ABC7 in San Francisco, who was given permission to air the tape. On the video, the Proud Boys member who was doing the recording identifies Proud Boys national leadership who were giving orders to assail The Capitol. The photographer can be heard saying, "We're stormin' The Capitol, guys." The Proud Boys member with the camera is handicapped and has difficulty walking, so he operates a scooter to get around. But that didn't stop him from being fully involved. He admits on camera to using his fists on someone. "I don't know if I hurt the guy or not 'cause I'm crippled, but I got my punches in." Some of the Proud Boys were prepared for combat with baseball bats and other forms of weaponry, while dressed in battle fatigues. One of the Proud Boys was seen wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the imprint "Camp Auschwitz," a sinful sign of anti-Semistism. Proud Boys are known for their hate for Jews. At one of their events in 2020, one of the Proud Boys was seen wearing a black t-shirt with the image of an eagle and the vulgar abbreviation "6MWE," which means "6 million were not enough." To be more specific, it means that the extermination of 6 million Jews, who were murdered in the Nazi concentration camps during World War II, was not enough. There are reports on the Internet and elsewhere - including on cable television - that indicated that the photo of the man wearing the anti-Semitic t-shirt was taken at the Capitol Hill siege. But the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) confirms that the picture is from an earlier gathering in Washington, DC, not on January 6th.
It should be noted that The Controversy is not publishing any photos of the Proud Boys, as we refuse to give this organization any photographic spotlight. We understand that because of their controversial way of life, Proud Boys are newsmakers, and, therefore, it is necessary for responsible journalists to broadcast or publish when this group makes news. But The Controversy, for the most part, is intended for editorial purposes. The ADL describes the Proud Boys as "misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and anti-immigration. Some members espouse white supremacist and anti-Semitic ideologies and/or engage with white supremacist groups." On its website, the ADL quotes a co-founder of the Proud Boys who at one time told The New York Times, "I love being white and I think it's something to be very proud of. I don't want our culture diluted. We need to close the borders now and let everyone assimilate to a Western, white, English-speaking way of life." Obviously, the Proud Boys' participation in the assault on Capitol Hill is part of the story, but since this publication and the writer of this column are vehemently opposed to everything that the Proud Boys stand for, and we profoundly detest any person or group whose beliefs support any form of discrimination, bigotry, anti-Semitism or racism, we will not publicize them with visual images. Of course, not everyone who was involved in The Capitol riot was a member of the Proud Boys, and not everyone entered The Capitol Building. Nevertheless, this entire engagement was an organized and coordinated mission that was similar to military warfare.
America is an embarrassment to the world following the pro-Trump riot on Capitol Hill. International leaders around the globe expressed shock, and condemned the horrifying scenes as they came out against such treachery and trashing of American democracy.
It took nearly four days to call the race after Election Day 2020, but Joe Biden was finally declared victorious on November 7th by The Associated Press, the major television networks, and several other news organizations. These media outlets - with a wide range of polling data and detailed analysis - project the winner of each of our 50 states plus the District of Columbia, from the votes counted and any ballots still remaining. Determining actual winners of
all 51 races is only made by election officials, but even after each state's secretary of state, plus other election officials, the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, and Trump's generally loyal attorney general (now former A.G.) William Barr had all proclaimed that there was absolutely no evidence of widespread voter fraud, Trump continues his adamant, arrogant and asinine assumption that he won the election because it was "rigged," and that the Democrats and others had "cheated."
But Trump's claims fell on deaf ears as some sixty lawsuits, filed by Trump - or others on his behalf - failed. Judges all across America - including justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, three of whom Trump nominated - rejected his allegations. Still, with no proof of obstruction, dishonesty or scheming of any kind, in a last-ditch effort, Trump tried to persuade a Republican secretary of state to "find" enough votes to overturn the election so that he would defeat President-elect Biden. Therefore, throughout a 62-minute, recorded telephone conversation on Saturday, January 2nd, Trump pushed Georgia's
Germany, to "recalcuate" the vote in Trump's favor and to locate thousands of ballots in Fulton County (Atlanta) that Trump claimed to be illegally "shredded." Trump insists there were "300,000 fake ballots in Georgia." Election officials say there were not. And there is no evidence to support Trump's vengeful and vicious allegations. Yet he
threatened Raffensperger and Germany that they could be charged with a crime; basically warning them with false accusations that
The Washington Post obtained the tape of the call that legal scholars described - according to The Post - "as a flagrant abuse of power and a potential criminal act." With his White House chief of staff, among others, also on the phone, Trump insisted to Raffensperger and Germany that "The people of Georgia are angry. And there's nothing wrong with saying, you know, that you've recalculated." But Raffensperger clearly disagreed with Trump. "Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong." But that didn't stop Trump from rambling about with his unfounded conspiracy theories, as his pursuit to convince Raffensperger continued. He even argued that votes were triple scanned. "Brad, why did they put the votes in three times? You know, they put 'em in three times?" That, of course, was not true and Raffensperger maintained that no such fraud was performed. "Mr. President, they did not. We did an audit of that, and we proved conclusively that they were not scanned three times." Trump was not going to let up, and used language that was more aggressive and sinister. "So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state. So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break. There's no way I lost Georgia. There's no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes. So tell me, Brad, what are we going to do? We won the election, and it's not fair to take it away from us like this. And it's going to be very costly in many ways. And I think you have to say that you're going to reexamine it, and you can reexamine it, but reexamine it with people that want to find answers, not people who don't want to find answers." Trump also cooked up in his head that there were votes cast by people who had died. He blurted out to Raffensperger, "So dead people voted, and I think the number is close to 5,000 people. And they went to obituaries. They went to all sorts of methods." None of what Trump said about 5,000 dead people voting is true.
Contacting Raffensperger was not the first time Trump tried to get a Georgia state official to break the law. The Washington Post confirmed that Trump, in December, pressured Georgia's lead elections investigator to "find the fraud" and that by doing so would make the person a "national hero." Trump obviously doesn't give a damn who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants. Therefore, as part of the Articles of Impeachment unveiled by the House, it cites Trump's call to Secretary Raffensperger and states that Trump tried to "subvert and obstruct the certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election."
Winning Georgia wouldn't have changed the outcome of the election as "The Peach State" is worth 16 Electoral College votes. So even with Georgia in his win column, Trump's total would only equal 248; still 22 Electoral College votes short of the required 270. Therefore, not enough to beat President-elect Biden, as all the other battleground states, such as Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, were also definitively won by the former vice president.
To coerce a state election official to change the voting tabulation violates federal and state laws, so badgering and browbeating Georgia's secretary of state and others is bad enough. But to plan an event that turned out to be an attempted coup on our federal government - even if Trump wasn't involved in the actual breach of The Capitol - is grounds for Trump's immediate removal from office.
Fearing their safety might be in jeopardy, Secret Service agents and Capitol Police officers rushed Members of Congress (senators and representatives), along with their staffs, in to secluded quarters unknown to the public or the press until the turmoil of the day quieted down. Congress returned to its chambers later in the evening of Wednesday, January 6th and worked in to the wee hours of the overnight. After a day of agonizing turbulence in America, there remained more than a handful of senators, plus a number of representatives, who still objected to Joe
Biden being certified as the next president of the United States. But at 3:42 A.M. on Thursday, January 7th, I posted the following on Facebook. "Final results by Congress. Joe Biden, 306 Electoral College votes, Donald Trump, 232 votes. IT'S PRESIDENT BIDEN. WE DID IT!" Shortly thereafter, just before 4 A.M., Trump issued the following statement on Twitter through the account of his deputy chief of staff for communications, Dan Scavino. "Even
though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th." You're wrong, Donald. The facts don't bear you out. So Trump refuses to concede to President-elect Biden and continues to be in denial that he lost the election. He just can't accept the REAL facts, and therefore, his lies and deceit caused him to finally be removed off social media. Trump was forced to tweet via Scavino's account because Twitter had temporarily suspended him, locking out Trump from late January 6th to sometime on January 7th "due to risk of violence." However, Twitter banned Trump forever on Friday, January 8th. And it's about time! Five-and-a-half years too late though. Here's how Twitter put it in their statement. "After close review of recent tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them - specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter - we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence." Facebook and YouTube have also suspended Trump's accounts.
Donald Trump has hinted that he might pardon himself. I'm not a lawyer and I'm not a constitutional scholar. But I have read the U.S. Constitution. Many times. And as an intelligent individual, my interpretation about presidential pardons does not allow any president of the United States to pardon himself (or herself). However, more importantly than my interpretation is what actual legal experts have said, and those who have expressed their thoughts in writing and on television have - for the most part - stated emphatically that Trump can NOT pardon himself. I know he thinks he can, but I have a feeling that if he does attempt to do it, that the matter will be up to the U.S. Supreme Court to rule and make an ultimate decision. Given what we've been through as a country, I would hope the justices would NOT grant such a pardon. It would set a precedent that would permit other presidents in the future to commit crimes that could possibly be worse than those committed by Trump. And that would put Trump and other presidents above the law. We cannot have that in America. And we cannot let Donald Trump get away with illegal wrongdoings that require prosecution.
Meanwhile, as I posted on Facebook on January 8th, "The rats are jumping ship as the S.S. Trump is rapidly sinking. Its captain may end up with a complete mental breakdown." Some of Trump's allies no longer want to have anything to do with him or his presidency. Three cabinet members have resigned, as have other senior White House aides, since The Capitol attack. But the book to the Trump administration
What are the chances of Trump going free without any punishment whatsoever? Without conviction by the Senate to prevent him from running for president again, an impeachment alone is a slap on the wrists. Yes, history will show that Trump would be the only president impeached twice, but it leaves the door open so he could further his political agenda in the future, if he so desires. If there's no Senate conviction - either before or after January 20th - depending on the parliamentary legalities involved, it would be up to the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute Trump as a private citizen after he's out of office. That is if he can't pardon himself, which again, I don't think he will be able to do. Let's also remember, should Trump pull off the trick of the century and somehow ends up being pardoned, a presidential pardon is only applicable for federal crimes. The State and City of New York are both looking at criminal charges against Trump, once he's no longer president.
Donald Trump will be the first United States president in 152 years to refuse attendance at his successor's inauguration. Andrew Johnson skipped Ulysses S. Grant's inauguration in 1869. John Quincy Adams didn't go to Andrew Jackson's swearing-in ceremony in 1829. And John Adams didn't make an appearance in 1801 at Thomas Jefferson's big day. We cannot include Richard Nixon, in 1974, who was not present when Gerald Ford took the Presidential Oath
of Office following Mr. Nixon's resignation. But it's time now that we recall Trump's pre-election words at a Georgia rally in October 2020. "If I lose, maybe I'll have to leave the country." Nobody likes a sore loser, Donald, so take your ball and exit the playing field. Understand, however, that you won't be given an opportunity to take a journey outside our nation's borders. So you can pack your bags and go home to Mar-a-Lago, but you won't be staying there very long. Soon you'll be escorted in handcuffs to Penitentiary Plaza (no, not Trump Plaza), and then maybe you can convince inmates on your cell block to play with you. Who knows? If you're a good boy, the warden might put your name on the prison marquee.
As I posted on Facebook on Wednesday evening, January 6th, "American democracy will prevail. Trust it. America will prevail. Trust it. President Biden will make everything better. Trust him."
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.
Please express your personal opinions by following the instructions printed at the top of this column. And thank you for reading The Controversy.
Photo credits:
1 - Jon Cherry/Getty Images (The Capitol Siege)
2 - Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images (The Capitol Siege)
3 - Jacquelyn Martin/The Associated Press (Donald Trump)
4 - Saul Loeb/AFP (Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, Supreme Leader of North Korea)
5 - Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call ( The Capitol Siege)
6 - Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images (The Capitol Siege)
7 - Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images (The Capitol Siege)
8 - CNBC Screenshot (The Capitol Siege)
9 - The Associated Press (Vice President Mike Pence and Donald Trump)
10 - Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images (The Capitol Siege)
11 - Samuel Corum/Getty Images (Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi)
12 - Getty Images (Vice President Mike Pence and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris)
13 - The Republic (Former Senator Barry Goldwater, Former Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott and Former House Minority Leader John Rhodes)
14 - The Associated Press and Getty Images (Former President Richard Nixon)
15 - Getty Images (House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell)
16 - The Associated Press and Getty Images (Senator Ted Cruz and Senator Josh Hawley)
17 - Scott Olson/Getty Images (President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris)
18 - Getty Images (President-elect Joe Biden, Chris Wallace of Fox News, and Donald Trump)
19 - KGO-TV/ABC7 San Francisco (Chief Investigative Reporter Dan Noyes)
20 - Jose Luis Magana/The Associated Press (The Capitol Siege)
21 - Jeff Roberson/The Associated Press (Former Attorney General William Barr)
22 - Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images (Donald Trump)
23 - John Bazemore/The Associated Press (Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger)
24 - Zoom (Ryan Germany, Georgia General Counsel for the Secretary of State)
25 - Yves Herman/Reuters (Donald Trump)
26 - Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press (President-elect Joe Biden)
27 - Jim Bourg/Reuters (Dan Scavino, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications)
28 - Jim Watson/Getty Images (Donald Trump)
29 - Oliver Contreras/The Associated Press (Vice President Mike Pence and President-elect Joe Biden)
30 - Alex Wong/Getty Images (Donald Trump)
31 - Harvey George/The Associated Press (Former President Richard Nixon and Former President Gerald Ford)
32 - Nati Harnik/The Associated Press (Donald Trump)
33 - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images (President-elect Joe Biden)
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