Opinion: McCarthy Is Terrified A Commission On Trump’s Insurrection Will Expose His Party’s Culpability

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:51 pm

Based on the overwhelming Republican opposition to an official commission on the January 6th insurrection, it is glaringly apparent that Republicans are intent on pretending that Trump’s attempted coup never happened.

Republicans love commissions to investigate actions against the United States if said investigations target a Muslim or a Democrat. In those cases, an official investigation by Congress is a very good thing and no amount of time or taxpayer money spent is considered excessive. However, when white supremacists attack the American seat of democracy to aid a fascist-directed insurrection against the government to seize power, a congressional commission is a very bad thing.

To listen to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, one might think he truly believes the only congressional investigation warranted is an attack on a diplomatic outpost in Benghazi or into American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights. In this case it is the people’s right to protest against law enforcement’s extrajudicial executions of African Americans; something Republicans apparently support.

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However, McCarthy’s opposition to a commission investigating the January 6 attack on democracy is borne of cowardice and hypocrisy as much as it is about protecting himself, his fascist party, and GOP’s fascist leader Donald Trump.

It was revealed late this week that the proposed bipartisan commission to investigate Trump’s attempt to seize power was not only bipartisan, it had all of Kevin McCarthy’s demands met to go forward.

In fact, on May 11, Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) announced that he reached an agreement for a bipartisan commission with a Republican Representative, John Katko of New York State. On CNN’s “New Day,” co-host John Berman revealed that:

”The proposed commission was part of a bipartisan deal negotiated by Republican Congressman John Katko, who reached the agreement based on specific requests from Leader Kevin McCarthy.” (author bold)

Mr Berman noted that Rep. Katko said he won concessions from Democrats on nearly all the points McCarthy demanded remarking: “This is about facts. It’s not partisan. We would have never gotten to this point if it was about partisan politics.”

 It is obvious that McCarthy’s about face on the “commission” is centered around protecting Republicans for their part in the insurrection, as well as Trump who directed the rebellion.

No doubt McCarthy is terrified that “the commission” will require him to testify under oath that he made an appeal to Trump to call off the insurrectionists only to be rebuffed by Trump. In fact, after pleading with Trump to call off his insurrectionist supporters, Trump told McCarthy:

“Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are.“

Prior to Trump’s second impeachment, Representative McCarthy said that Trump “bears responsibility” for the attack on the nation’s Capitol leading one to think McCarthy had a soul. But then he voted against impeaching the fascist because a Republican-inspired terrorist attack on America is not a bad thing.

McCarthy also voted against certifying the Electoral College count over Trump’s baseless allegations of widespread fraud and misadventure regardless that Trump’s Department of Justice and Homeland Security officials said the election was “the most secure in American history.”

What McCarthy and all Republicans know for a fact is that any formal congressional commission will reveal their whole-hearted, and months-long. participation in the domestic terror attack against the United States government. Republicans never opposed or denied Trump’s claim that the election was stolen by nefarious forces loyal to Democrats.

And besides pointing directly to Republicans as culpable for perpetuating Trump’s lies about a stolen election, a formal investigation would remind the  American people nearly all of the House Republicans voted against counting electoral votes after the insurgency and despite no evidence of fraud ever existed. A thorough investigation would demonstrate to voters Republicans’ flagrant disregard for “acts of domestic terrorism against the government because it was driven by support for Trump.”

An in-depth investigation would also remind Americans that “all but 10 Republicans voted against impeaching Trump” for inciting sedition against the government; despite the knowledge that, as McCarthy said, “Trump bears responsibility” for the deadly attack on the Capitol.

As anyone with a conscience knows by now, by opposing a formal investigation into Trump’s attempted coup d’etat, McCarthy and Republicans are not simply protecting Trump; they are protecting themselves.

As noted by John Stoehr, “the Republicans are involved in what can accurately be called a conspiracy of silence.”

A formal investigation will reveal to the people that based on the facts, fascist Republicans were intimately involved in Trump’s seditious conspiracy against the United States government making them guilty of sedition – a very serious federal crime.

Rmuse

Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.

Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn’t look good.

Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.