Above the Law

We forget January 6th at our peril

In light of the election results, Special Counsel Jack Smith and the Justice Department have concluded that the federal prosecutions of the Donald cannot continue. Then D.C. federal judge Tanya Chutkin dismissed the Jan. 6 case against Donald Trump.

Although the case was dismissed without prejudice, which means it can be revived after Donald is not longer in office, but this is still a dark, if expected, turn. Donald has gotten away with one of the greatest crimes against America (and that’s not even taking into account the documents case his personal pocket judge Aileen Cannon doomed from the start or the New York case for which he was convicted on 34 felony counts but for which he will not be sentenced).

Because of the multi-faceted failures—of institutions and individuals—he’s planning his revenge against those who tried to hold him accountable.

Ron Filipowski of the Meidas Touch network, reported that he “would not be shocked” if Donald appoints someone like the disgraced Matt Gaetz as a DOJ Special Counsel to go after Michael Byrd, the Capitol police officer who shot and killed insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt. For context, this incident occurred as Babbitt tried to climb through a window she and other insurrectionists had smashed int order to gain access to the Capitol and attack members of Congress.

In a normal and sane country, Donald’s January 6th trial would have been completed in a timely manner; he would have been convicted for his crimes, just as 749 of his foot-soldiers have been; and he would have been sentenced to a significant prison term. But in this country, our next president is the person who sent the mob to the Capitol. And in his telling of the story, he is innocent and Babbitt is a hero.

“One thing that nobody has paid much attention to, but they should, is the fact that Trump and the people close to him have called for Capitol Police Officer Michael Byrd to be prosecuted for murder in the shooting death of Ashli Babbitt on J6,” Filipowski wrote. “Trump could very easily have his DOJ open up an investigation and charge Byrd, and I would not be shocked if that happens.”

I wouldn’t be shocked, either. We know my uncle is committed to re-writing the history of his attempted coup. He’s even directed Pam Bondi, his latest Attorney General nominee, to investigate the 2020 election for fraud that does not exist.

Donald is determined to force his delusions into reality, and he will use the Justice Department to help him do that.

We also know he is an ardent defender of the mob of thugs he sent to assault police officers and end our tradition of peaceful transfers of power.

In January 2023, to mark the second anniversary of the insurrection, Donald said that “Ashli Babbitt’s mother was arrested yesterday because she was protesting the death of her daughter being shot by a lunatic for no reason.”

He continued: “So she loses her daughter and then on top of it she gets arrested and we are not going to let this go on. These people are horrible, horrible people. What they’ve done to protesters. These are protesters. They were protesting a dishonest election.”

We know Donald is planning to pardon the Jan. 6 terrorists and likely prosecute those who prosecuted them. But we also know who is responsible for putting Michael Byrd in the position he was in on January 6th. We know that Byrd was only doing the job he swore to do, which was to protect the Capitol and all those we worked within it. Regardless of the disastrous consequences of the failures of the Republican Party, Merrick Garland, and the corrupt illegitimate super-majority of the Supreme Court, the least we can do is remember the rest of those who sacrificed and suffered that day and do whatever we can to fight for justice—for them and democracy.