Potential reemergence of January 6 atrocities might not influence the upcoming election
Specialized investigator Jack Smith and ex-congresswoman Liz Cheney have propelled the matter of Trump's falsified 2020 election fraud allegations to the climax of his tight race with Democrat nominee Kamala Harris. This situation recalls a disgraceful chapter in American history.
Cheney, accompanying Harris in Wisconsin, presented herself as a bipartisan force preventing Trump from gaining the White House. Despite the Capitol riot by Trump supporters, his attempts to tamper with a fair election, and his continuous efforts to degrade the American democratic system, Trump's potential comeback persists.
This predicament underscores the fissured landscape of the nation and the Republican party's eagerness to uphold power. Most significantly, it underscores the powerful allure that has made Trump a historic and enduring political authority.
Cheney, a strict conservative, joined forces with Harris in critical battleground Wisconsin to persuade moderates and Trump-suspicious Republicans to vote for the Democrat despite their policy disparities.
Addressing the public in Ripon, Wisconsin, Cheney said, "The most fundamental conservative value is loyalty to our Constitution." She emphasized, "Today, our republic confronts an unprecedented threat."
Cheney accused Trump of harboring no empathy. "Donald Trump is petty, vindictive, and cruel, and Donald Trump is unfit to govern this great nation."
This memorable gathering was institutionalized by the political upheaval triggered by Trump's activities four years prior. A striking difference in America's political landscape: Cheney's father, former Vice President Dick Cheney — known for his unpopularity with Democrats — also endorsed Harris. Cheney declared, "I've never voted for a Democrat, but this year, I am proudly casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris."
During her House tenure, Cheney ultimately lost her leadership position and was defeated in a landslide to a primary rival after opposing Trump's attempts to disregard voters' will in 2020. Moreover, she played a leading role in a bipartisan special committee advocating criminal charges against the twice-impeached ex-president over the January 6, 2021, riot. In a closely contested state, Cheney's support in Wisconsin could sway the election.
In the coming week, Cheney and former Trump White House staffers Alyssa Farah Griffin, Cassidy Hutchinson, and Sarah Matthews will debate Trump's conduct at a Pennsylvania fireside chat, exclusively revealed by CNN.
Harris expressed admiration for Cheney's courage and pledged, "Anyone who advocates for the termination of the Constitution of the United States, as Donald Trump has, must never again claim the presidency of our nation."
Cheney's appearance came after Smith reemerged in the limelight, with an unsealed court filing offering fresh insights into his prosecution against Trump, who has thwarted previous attempts at bringing him to trial before the election.
Smith alleges that Trump told family members, "It doesn't matter if you won or lost the election. You still need to fight with all your might." This filing represents Smith's effort to salvage the case undermined by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, which granted Trump and former presidents immunity for actions during their tenure.
Uncertain political consequences of the renewed January 6 focus
The renewed focus on Trump's refusal to acknowledge the 2020 election outcome and the January 6 Capitol attack might appear like a political setback for Trump. However, it's a testament to Trump's success in rewriting history that this issue might not be a deciding factor in the election.
Upon leaving the White House in January 2021, with the city segregated by high-security fences and without attending Joe Biden's inauguration, it would have been unimaginable to imagine that Trump could have a strong chance of reclaiming the presidency in a non-consecutive second term.
Despite horrifying many Americans, Trump's post-election conduct is not perceived as disqualifying by a significant portion of the population. Trump has disputed his adversaries' claims of posing a grave danger to the Constitution by arguing that Biden and Harris represent the actual threat and accusing their rhetoric of inspiring two assassination attempts against him. "I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things they say about me," Trump said during a debate with Harris last month. "They talk about democracy. I'm a threat to democracy. They're the threat to democracy."
Trump's grip on the Republican base has enabled him to intimidate most party leaders into supporting him and joining his campaign to revise his post-election conduct. He has also renewed doubts about the election system's integrity as early voting starts this year to circumvent another potential defeat.
Trump's ability to persuade Republicans that he was the victim of political persecution aided his triumph in the Republican primaries. And the prospect of another Democratic president is beginning to soften some of the deepest Republican wounds from 2020. For example, Trump is scheduled to collaborate with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday in a swing state to discuss Hurricane Helene, a politician Trump had long berated for failing to support his efforts to overturn Biden's win in Georgia.
The prospect of Trump returning as president is worrying for many Americans due to his promise of seeking revenge in a second term and threatening to imprison his political opponents.
Nonetheless, Trump's authoritarian tendencies appeal to numerous Republican voters who believe the Biden administration is misusing justice against him. Despite lacking concrete evidence, some of the prosecutors involved in Trump's criminal and civil cases, notably in Georgia and New York, have political backgrounds that have critiqued the former president. Regardless, all the criminal charges against Trump stemmed from legitimate grand juries or legal procedures, and he was charged by a jury of his peers during his Manhattan trial based on a hush money payment to an adult film actress.
Aside from the federal election case, Trump is confronting a similar one in Georgia based on racketeering laws. A judge appointed by Trump nullified another Smith prosecution – concerning the mishandling of classified documents at Trump's Florida club – although the special counsel is contesting her decision.
Smith outlines a devastating narrative – but Trump has so far avoided a trial
In his most recent submission to the district court in Washington, Smith alleges that Trump attempted to reverse legitimate election results in seven states where he lost. As a defendant in this case and all other criminal cases against him, Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Given the highly partisan political climate, the special counsel was bound to encounter accusations of bias since, despite its nominal independence, it operates under the supervision of Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland. However, failing to prosecute a president who escaped political accountability when Republican senators declined to convict him during his second impeachment trial, could set a precarious precedent beneficial for future presidents who seek to disregard election losses.
Although Smith must still convince a jury that Trump violated the law, the essential facts are not debatable.
The former president refused to acknowledge the outcome of the 2020 election that he lost. His accusations of fraud – often devoid of evidence – were dismissed by various judges and even by the Supreme Court. He encouraged a gathering in Washington and provoked his supporters, who damaged the Capitol and assaulted law enforcement officers. The former president has celebrated those who attempted to obstruct the electoral certification as heroes and pledged to pardon them if he regains power. His actions did not merely pose a threat to the cherished American principle of peaceful transitions between presidents. They undermined trust among millions of Americans in the legal and electoral system.
Biden emphasized Trump's threat to democracy as the primary focus of his now-abandoned presidential bid, warning that his predecessor presents an unprecedented danger to America's core values. However, Harris, while acknowledging the perils of Trump, highlights the generational transformation she offers as her primary focus.
Her methodology is an acknowledgment that there are numerous other concerns – such as high food prices, housing costs, and childcare expenses – that captivate voters' attention equally, if not more, as somewhat abstract alarms of democracy overshadowed.
According to a CNN/SSRS poll in September, about 4 in 10 likely voters classified the economy as the most important consideration when choosing a candidate. Protecting democracy ranked second at 21%, immigration at 12%, and abortion at 11%. Harris' supporters were more inclined than others to prioritize protecting democracy (37%) over the economy (21%).
Although the events of January 6, 2021, were harrowing, they aren't the dominant issue four years later.
But if Trump wins, future historians may ponder why a former president who sought to dismantle democracy to maintain power was able to exploit the same system to regain the White House.
The renewed focus on Trump's actions surrounding the 2020 election and the Capitol riot has sparked debates within the Republican party about loyalty to democratic principles. Cheney, who has been vocal against Trump's attempts to undermine the election, is expected to play a significant role in shaping the party's stance on politics.
Despite the ongoing investigations and allegations of attempting to overturn legitimate election results, Trump continues to garner support within his base, raising questions about the impact of politics on perceptions of truth and accountability.
