insurrection
Hitting cops, roaming the Senate, smoking pot: DOJ says Ohioans were everywhere Jan. 6
In the big picture of the insurrection, the criminal charges against Alexander Sheppard are unremarkable. Federal prosecutors say Sheppard arrived in Washington D.C. from Powell, Ohio after posting on Facebook that the election was “RIGGED.” He faces five charges, including disorderly conduct in a Capitol building. He wasn’t accused of violence or destruction, but of […]
Report sheds new light on Pa. lawmaker’s role in Trump’s election pressure on Justice Dept.
A newly released congressional report on efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to pressure the U.S. Dept. of Justice and overturn the 2020 election prominently highlights a Pennsylvania lawmaker who is a close Trump ally, and who was in the vanguard of lawmakers who objected to certifying President Joe Biden’s victory last November. The […]
Is America experiencing a different kind of ‘civil war’?
Wars are not always fought by armed military forces with guns, bombs, stealth fighters, and sophisticated weaponry. And the enemy is not always clearly defined. Even the reasons for war often lack clarity. But the divisiveness and fighting still rage, nonetheless. At first glance, you might think characterizing the divisiveness that America is experiencing today […]
Former GOP congressman from Virginia to advise Jan. 6 investigation
WASHINGTON — Former Virginia Republican U.S. Rep. Denver Riggleman will serve as a nonpartisan senior staff member on a panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. “Doing this might be one of the biggest things I’ve ever done in my life,” Riggleman said in a video he posted to Twitter. “We can’t worry […]
Leaders can’t support the American Republic while also supporting efforts to destroy it
We used to assume that Democrats and Republicans, all differences aside, at least shared allegiance to the small-d-democratic values that have sustained our republic for over two centuries. We used to assume that the two major political parties in the United States were both committed to a common democracy, including free and fair and accessible […]
U.S. House backs select committee to probe Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted Wednesday to establish a select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection, in which a mob of pro-Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol. In a 222-190 vote that was almost entirely party-line, just two Republicans joined Democrats in passing the resolution, which calls for a probe into “one of the […]
Voting against medals for cops, 21 Republicans hit a new low in insurrection denial
So just how desperate are some Republicans to deny the reality of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol? Desperate enough that 21 of them voted against a slam-dunk of a bill earlier this week awarding one of the country’s highest civilian honors, the Congressional Gold Medal, to the law enforcement officers who defended […]
Investigating Benghazi but ignoring the Jan. 6 insurrection
A decade ago, there were more than a half-dozen Congressional committees investigating the attack upon the U.S. Consular Office in Benghazi, Libya. Yet chances are dimming for even a single Congressional investigation of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol itself on Jan. 6, 2021. But Congress should not be barred from investigating an attempt to […]
Play taps for America: The Republic is under attack
Play taps for America. For a breach of faith with those we memorialize. We pay tribute to generations of Americans who paid with their lives so democracy — messy, impassioned democracy — would endure. Yet today we stand at the precipice of its demise. That’s not hyperbole. That’s a five-alarm fire burning down the house […]
Senate GOP filibuster blocks commission to probe U.S. Capitol attack
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Friday blocked consideration of a bill creating a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate what happened leading up to and during the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol. Legislation to form an investigatory panel into that attack passed the House of Representatives earlier this month, with 35 House Republicans joining […]
Liz Cheney ousted from U.S. House GOP leadership for rejecting Trump’s “big lie”
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans voted Wednesday to remove U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position after her continued pushback against former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of voter fraud in the presidential election. Saying they want to unite the party in an attempt to win back the House in the 2022 midterm elections, […]
After the insurrection, America’s far-right groups get more extreme
By Matthew Valasik, Louisiana State University and Shannon Reid, University of North Carolina – Charlotte As the U.S. grapples with domestic extremism in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, warnings about more violence are coming from the FBI Director Chris Wray and others. The Conversation asked Matthew Valasik, a sociologist […]