The assault on the U.S. Capitol Building in January is a stain on U.S. democracy. The incident started with former U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech. Even though the Senate’s verdict acquitted Trump, the former president still bears extremely heavy responsibility.
The impeachment trial, in which Trump was charged with “incitement of insurrection,” lasted for only five days.
The Democratic Party, which wanted to avoid delaying deliberations on issues such as COVID-19 measures, cooperated with the Republicans in attempting to reach a quick conclusion to the proceedings. President Joe Biden, who is aiming for societal reconciliation in the U.S., also kept his distance from the trial.
However, considering the severity of the situation, the trial should have been conducted to the fullest extent. Just counting human damage, five people died, including police officers, and over 100 people were injured.
Forty-three Republicans voted to acquit Trump, with seven Republicans voting guilty, which was not enough to meet the two-thirds majority needed for a guilty verdict.
Many of the Republicans senators based their decisions to acquit on the argument that they “have no power to convict and disqualify a former officeholder who is now a private citizen,” as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stated.
In reality, one of the main reasons for their decision was that Trump still holds great clout within the Republican Party. Republican officials are being asked to put on a strong front in support of Trump.
Trump had not only incited his supporters with his urgings to go “to the Capitol,” he also made no move to bring the disturbance under control once violence broke out. His handling of the situation equated to tacit support of the insurrection.
McConnell, who voted to acquit Trump, has harsh words for the former president, stating that “There is no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the event of that day.”
Trump’s actions must not be overlooked, as he asserted his baseless claims of election fraud and incited his supporters to obstruct the congressional process of transitioning political power.
Trump should have taken full personal responsibility. Even though his term in office was nearly over, the proper course of action would have been for him to admit culpability and resign. Even so, there has been no visible indication of remorse from him whatsoever.
Trump’s style of sharply dividing people into clear camps of either enemies or supporters has permeated the Republican Party; consequently, the seven Republicans who voted guilty have been condemned as “traitors.” This trend of clannishness toward anyone who holds different views is worrisome.
In addition, the risk of domestic terror from radicals, who have grown in strength through widening social division, has been pointed out.
The issue facing the nation now is rebuilding U.S. democracy, which the Capitol attack exposed as fragile. The Republican Party carries a heavy burden. If the party does not draw the line at Trumpism, then it has a bleak future ahead of it.
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