Protesters scale the walls of the U.S. Capitol
The big news on everyone’s mind today is the insurrection in which members of radical right groups who support President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, forcing the evacuation of members of Congress who had convened to ratify the Electoral College votes that named Joe Biden the next president of the United States.
Trump loyalists have tried to place the blame for the rampage that vandalized the Capitol on “members of Antifa,” with a Franklin resident posting on Facebook, “Come on people- think about it- do these REALLY look like Trump supporters to you??? These are ANTIFA assholes!!!”
In fact, photos of the occupation show people known for their association with radical-right groups and supporters of online conspiracy theories, many of whom have long been active online and at pro-Trump rallies. One shows a man with a painted face, bare chest, and fur hat and horns, who has been identified as “QAnon Shaman,” the identity adopted by Jake Angeli, a well-known QAnon personality who made a speech in Phoenix, Arizona, about the “fraudulent election.” Another is Nick Ochs, a member of the Proud Boys, who tweeted a selfie from inside the building, saying “Hello from the Capital lol.” He also filmed a livestream inside. Still another was social media personality Tim Gionet, aka “Baked Alaska,” a Trump supporter whose livestream from inside the Capitol showed him talking to other protesters.
Richard “Bigo” Barnett of Arkansas, who broke into Nancy Pelosi’s office and emerged with an envelope from her desk, is involved in a gun rights group and was interviewed at a “Stop the Steal” rally after the presidential election.
So much for “Antifa.”
Some of the protesters who came to support Trump expressed horror at what took place in the Capitol building, and news commentators were quick to point out — just as they did at the earlier Black Lives Matter protests — that the majority of those attending were peaceful protesters. They came because they did not believe the election went to Biden, despite multiple audits, recounts, and Supreme Court decisions that found no widespread voter fraud.
Some of the responses to what happened in Washington, D.C., were more nuanced. A Campton resident posted, “The difference between an American and a Partisan Hack.... An American sees a problem and demands that our officials investigate, seek solutions and find consensus for the sake of the nation. A Partisan Hack, expresses outrage because outrage is easy and provides short term political gain. They support symbolism because symbolism is easy and supports short term political gain. A Partisan Hack will ignore their own contradictions and support whatever is necessary to condemn or demonize their political opposite number to help advance THEIR political wants. We have millions of Americans who despite Trump’s blubbering and disastrous actions, believe November’s election needs to be investigated. So I ask you this....... Are you an American who seeks an investigation for the sake of a solution and a consensus, or are you a Political Hack? A Political Hack who says - “Biden won, shut up and get a life.” Or..... “Trump won and we will storm the nations capital in protest because Trump incited us to do so.”
A resident of Loxahatchee, Florida, wrote, “When a black man commits a violent act, don’t blame all blacks and call them bad. When a gay person commits a violent act, don’t blame all gays and call them bad. When an anti-fascist commits a violent act, don’t blame all anti-fascists and call them bad. When a Muslim commits a violent act, don’t blame all Muslims and call them bad. This also applies to: Police, Hispanics, Whites, Dem or Rep supporters, etc.... Don’t be ignorant!”
Others were more blunt. A Moultonborough resident posted, “What the hell did the Trumpistas pushing the conspiracy theories think would happen? They knew perfectly well and are hoping to exploit it for their own authoritarian purposes.”
A Laconia resident said, simply, “i never thought I would see this in America. A very sad day.”
In a joint statement, NHGOP Chairman Stepanek and Vice-Chair Pamela Tucker wrote, “The activity seen at the United States Capitol today is wholly unacceptable and is an affront to our Republican values. We pride ourselves on being the party of law and order — to riot and storm the halls of Congress as these protesters have done is not conservative. It is not Republican. Those who have broken through barricades and assaulted Capitol police do not speak for the Republican Party.”
Democrat Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire posted, “Early this morning, Congress fulfilled its Constitutional duty and certified the results of the 2020 election, undeterred by the violent, un-American siege on the U.S. Capitol. This was an insurrection spurred by President Trump and his enablers in Congress, who for months have perpetuated unfounded lies in an attempt to overturn the will of the American people. This was a dark day that we will all remember and future generations must learn from. The rancorous partisan politics must be put behind us so we can move forward together — our country and democracy demand it.”
Members of the Senate who had stood with President Trump — notably Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — did abrupt about-faces following the attack on the Capitol. Graham strongly opposed the effort to block Congress’ approval of the Electoral College results, saying, “Trump and I, we had a hell of a journey, ... but today all I can say is count me out. Enough is enough. I tried to be helpful.”
Only six senators continued the attempt to block Biden’s win in Arizona, but 139 House Republicans voted not to accept the election results. A roll call showed senators Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Rick Scott of Florida, Roger Marshall of Kansas, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming voted to sustain objections to the voting results.
In the House, those sustaining the objections were Robert B. Aderholt, Mo Brooks, Jerry Carl, Barry Moore, Gary Palmer, and Mike Rogers of Alaska; Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, Debbie Lesko, and David Schweikert of Arizona; Rick Crawford of Arkansas; Ken Calvert, Mike Garcia, Darell Issa, Doug LaMalfa, Kevin McCarthy, Devin Nunes, and Jay Obernolte of California; Lauren Boebert and Doug Lamborn of Colorado; Kat Cammack, Mario Diaz-Balart, Byron Donalds, Neal Dunn, Scott Franklin, Matt Gaetz, Carlos Gimenez, Brian Mast, Bill Posey, John Rutherford, Greg Steube, and Daniel Webster of Florida; Rick Allen, Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, Andrew Clyde, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jody Hice, and Barry Loudermilk of Georgia; Russ Fulcher of Idaho; Mike Bost and Mary Miller of Illinois; Jim Baird, Jim Banks, Greg Pence, and Jackie Walorski of Indiana; Ron Estes, Jacob LaTurner, and Tracey Mann of Kansas; Harold Rogers of Kentucky; Garret Graves, Clay Higgins, Mike Johnson, and Steve Scalise of Louisiana; Andy Harris of Maryland; Jack Bergman, Lisa McClain, and Tim Walberg of Michigan; Michelle Fischbach and Jim Hagedorn of Minnesota; Michael Guest, Trent Kelly, and Steven Palazzo of Mississippi; Sam Graves, Vicky Hartzler, Billy Long, Blaine Luetkemeyer and Jason Smith of Missouri; Matt Rosendale of Montana; Dan Bishop, Ted Budd, Madison Cawthorn, Virginia Foxx, Richard Hudson, Gregory F. Murphy, and David Rouzer of North Carolina; Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey; Yvette Herrell of New Mexico; Chris Jacobs, Nicole Malliotakis, Elise M. Stefanik, and Lee Zeldin of New York; Adrian Smith of Nebraska; Steve Chabot, Warren Davidson, Bob Gibbs, Bill Johnson, and Jim Jordan of Ohio; Stephanie Bice, Tom Cole, Kevin Hern, Frank Lucas, and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma; Cliff Bentz of Oregon; John Joyce, Fred Keller, Mike Kelly, Daniel Meuser, Scott Perry, Guy Reschenthaler, Lloyd Smucker, and Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania; Jeff Duncan, Ralph Norman, Tom Rice, William Timmons, and Joe Wilson of South Carolina; Tim Burchett, Scott DesJarlais, Chuck Fleischmann, Mark E. Green, Diana Harshbarger, David Kustoff, and John Rose of Tennessee; Jodey Arrington, Brian Babin, Michael C. Burgess, John R. Carter, Michael Cloud, Pat Fallon, Louie Gohmert, Lance Gooden, Ronny Jackson, Troy Nehls, August Pfluger, Pete Sessions, Beth Van Duyne, Randy Weber, Roger Williams, and Ron Wright of Texas; Burgess Owens and Chris Stewart of Utah; Ben Cline, Bob Good, Morgan Griffith, and Robert J. Wittman of Virginia; Carol Miller and Alexander X. Mooney of West Virginia; and Scott Fitzgerald and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin.
We include these names because they have not disavowed the conspiracy theories and alternate reality promoted by Trump and his allies.
The Washington Post and other legitimate news outlets placed the blame flatly at the feet of the president. “In a long and violent day that the president urged his followers to remember ‘forever,’ he was typical Trump. He exhorted his followers, he spoke falsehoods, he took to Twitter, he attacked the media, and he confronted the Constitution of the United States. It was as if four years of the Trump presidency were squeezed into one day. … The sight of rioters, some armed, trying to overturn an election marked an unprecedented but not entirely unexpected reaping of what Trump has sown.”
“He incited violence. He abdicated his responsibility to lead, and he failed to quell violence at the Capitol. It’s straightforward,” said Tom Bossert, who was Trump’s first homeland security adviser.
The consequences of Wednesday’s events will play out in the coming days.
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