We must never forget Donald Trump's treachery

The man who instigated a riot at the U.S. Capitol four years ago tomorrow to stop the certification of Joe Biden as president will be certified president.

The peaceful transfer of power lies at the heart of American democracy, but Trump sought to overturn the result of the 2020 election and has not been held accountable.

We must never forget his treachery.

When Vice President Mike Pence walked into the Capitol four years ago tomorrow, on January 6, 2021, he faced a withering pressure campaign by Trump, who had already twisted the arms of governors and election officials around the country to change the result of the election in his favor.

Pence was about to throw out the slates of false electors that Trump and his henchmen had hyped for weeks — coaxing loyalists in five swing states to submit signed certificates falsely claiming they were “duly elected and qualified” members of the Electoral College.

But as Pence began the electoral vote count, thousands of Trump supporters, many of them armed, stormed the Capitol. Some chanted they wanted to “hang Mike Pence” for refusing to block the certification.

They came directly from a rally Trump held on the Ellipse, in which Trump repeated his false claim that the election had been stolen and told the crowd, "if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.”

According to the indictment from the office of Special Counsel Jack Smith, Trump directed those supporters to the Capitol "to obstruct the certification proceeding and exert pressure" on Pence. The indictment further states:

After it became public on the afternoon of January 6 that the Vice President would not fraudulently alter the election results, a large and angry crowd -- including many individuals whom the Defendant had deceived into believing the Vice President could and might change the election results -- violently attacked the Capitol and halted the proceeding.”

The FBI estimates that between 2,000 and 2,500 people entered the Capitol Building during the attack,some of whom participated in vandalism and looting,including the the offices of members of Congress. Rioters also assaulted Capitol Police officers. They occupied the empty empty Senate chamber while federal law enforcement officers defended the evacuated House floor.

Within 36 hours, five people died. One was shot by Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, three died of heart attacks or strokes, including a police officer who died the day after being assaulted by rioters. Many were injured, including 174 police officers. Four other officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months.

“President Trump was wrong,” Pence said subsequently. “I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”

But Trump has not been held accountable.

A week after the attack, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for incitement of insurrection. In February 2021, after he had left office, the Senate voted 57–43 in favor of conviction, but fell short of the required two-thirds, resulting in his acquittal.

Senate Republicans then blocked a bill to create a bipartisan independent commission to investigate the attack, leaving the House to organize its own select committee.

After an 18-month investigation including more than 1,000 witnesses and nine televised public hearings, the House’s select committee identified Trump as the "central cause" of the Capitol attack by the pro-Trump mob.

The panel, made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans, voted unanimously to recommend charges to the Justice Department to prosecute Trump for seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Following a special counsel investigation by the Justice Department, Trump was indicted on four charges in August 2023.

But after Trump’s reelection to the presidency, all charges were dismissed.

Of the 1,424 people charged with federal crimes relating to the riot, 1,010 pled guilty,and 1,060 have been sentenced. Enrique Tarrio, then the chairman of the Proud Boys, received the longest sentence, a 22-year prison term.

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Trump and his lackeys in the Republican Party have since promoted a revisionist history of the event — downplaying the severity of the violence, spreading conspiracy theories, and portraying those charged with crimes as hostages and martyrs.

Trump has tried to recast the violent events as a “day of love.” He has promised that in the first day of his new administration he would consider pardons for those who have been prosecuted for their roles on Jan. 6.

On December 8, 2024, in his first broadcast news interview since the 2024 election, Trump said members of the House committee that investigated the riot “should go to jail.”

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That Donald J. Trump — the same person who instigated a coup four years ago tomorrow, when Congress last gathered to certify an election — will become President on January 20 is an assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our democracy.

We must never forget. January 6, 2021 should live in infamy, as should Trump.

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Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/