This week, we recognize the second anniversary of the January 6, 2021 attack on our nation’s Capitol and the lives lost and threatened that day because of Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans’ selfish and dangerous actions. While the report from the House January 6th Select Committee is a step forward in holding Trump and his allies accountable, the threat to our country and our right to vote remains – especially by state and local governments across the country and the new MAGA House majority.
Here’s what you need to know for the weekend:
Main Points for the Weekend:
1. Today is the two-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on our Capitol, the culmination of a conspiracy perpetrated by Donald Trump and his MAGA allies. Their campaign to undermine our democracy and sow distrust in our elections continues to this day.
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- Top point to make: Donald Trump and ALL his MAGA allies must be held accountable for their actions in order to prevent a crisis like this from ever happening again.
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- If you read one thing: POLITICO, 1/5/23: Biden to mark Jan. 6 anniversary by warning the Big Lie remains. “President Joe Biden on Friday will mark the two-year anniversary of a violent mob storming the U.S. Capitol with a solemn tribute of the day. He’ll also deliver a warning: the threats that were exposed by the Jan. 6 select committee, and appeared beat back in the 2022 midterms, remain very much at large… ‘Our democracy still stands on a knife’s edge: the forces that brought us to the brink on January 6th continue to work to undermine the basic pillars of our Republic [and] the radicalism of the Republican Party has not disappeared,’ said Eddie Glaude, a professor at Princeton University who has met with Biden on the topic. A new Politico/Morning Consult poll out Thursday reveals that 45 percent of voters believe Trump is ‘very’ responsible for the events of Jan. 6, 2021. More than 75 percent of Democrats say insurrection could impact their 2024 vote while 53 percent of independents and 35 percent of Republicans say the same… ‘The evidence that the [Jan. 6] committee revealed has made even more clear that what happened almost two years ago was an attempted coup,’ said Brendan Nyhan, democracy expert at Dartmouth College. ‘Threats still remain, though — most notably, from former President Trump, whom our experts identify as a serious or extraordinary threat to democracy if he is again nominated by the Republican Party.’”
2. The January 6th Committee’s final report was released last month, revealing a massive amount of evidence. The report revealed the ways Donald Trump, his family, the Trump White House, his lawyers, members of Congress, and more all planned and promoted a conspiracy to overturn an election that they all knew he really lost.
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- Top point to make: No one is above the law, and Donald Trump and all of his allies must be held accountable.
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- If you read one thing: Politico, 1/2/23. Inside the Jan. 6 committee’s massive new evidence trove. “Here’s a look at some of the most extraordinary and important evidence in the select committee’s files… Two days after the Jan. 6 attack, Trump adviser Steve Bannon told his spokeswoman that he didn’t necessarily think the fight to prevent a Biden administration had ended… The select committee posted Trump’s complete White House call logs from Jan. 2, Jan. 3 and Jan. 5, 2021 — each reflecting the then-president’s intense focus on remaining in power… Turning back to Trump, Hicks expressed outrage about his attack on Vice President Mike Pence in the midst of the violence. ‘Wtf is wrong with him?’ she wrote… Ken Chesebro, an architect of Trump’s plans to send ‘alternate’ electors to Congress and to use them to disrupt the Jan. 6 session of Congress, repeatedly pleaded the Fifth during his deposition with the select committee.”
3. States across the country are expected to implement more laws to restrict access to voting. Such laws are clear intrusions on one of Americans’ most fundamental rights.
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- Top point to make: The threat to our country is ongoing. MAGA Republicans will stop at nothing to override the will of the people.
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- If you read one thing: AP, 12/29/22: New year expected to bring more changes to state voting laws. “Even with proponents of Trump’s election lies roundly defeated during this year’s midterms, advocates on both sides of the voting debate are bracing for another round of election-related legislation. Republicans are eager to tighten election rules further while Democrats, who took control of two additional statehouses, will seek to make it easier to cast a ballot. Minnesota’s newly reelected Democratic secretary of state, Steve Simon, said he had spoken to several secretaries of state who are eager to push for changes in voting. Losses by election-denier candidates in top races have emboldened some Democrats to champion expansions of voting rights. ‘Voters spoke loudly and clearly about what they wanted and didn’t want, both in regards to this office and all these other issues,’ said Simon, who defeated a Republican challenger who parroted some of Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.”
Expert voices
Ryan Goodman, founding co-editor-in-chief of Just Security and Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Reiss Center on Law and Security at New York University School of Law, and Justin Hendrix, co-founder, and CEO of Tech Policy Press: “What follows are highlights of the January 6th Select Committee’s final report from our initial review…With so much at stake for American democracy, the January 6th Report provides the public an opportunity to reflect on persistent threats to the rule of law, elections, racial justice, and freedom from political violence.” Just Security: Major Highlights of the January 6th Report
Norm Eisen, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution: “‘The (Jan. 6) committee takes us through day-by-day, step-by-step, call-by-call and contact-by-contact with the blizzard of activity targeting Georgia,’ he said. ‘We now have a much more complete picture.’” WXIA-TV
Joyce Vance, former US attorney: “People don’t just obstruct justice in a vacuum. They obstruct to conceal other crimes. Here, the possible crimes include inciting obstructing a congressional proceeding because Donald Trump wanted to stay in power after the voters told him no. That’s not just a ‘process crime.’ And DOJ would do well to take up the mantle the Jan. 6 committee has handed them and hold Trump (and his friends) accountable.” MSNBC Op-Ed: Trump’s obstruction of justice criminal referral matters. And prosecutors know it.
Julian E. Zelizer, professor of political history at Princeton University: “Optimists mistakenly argue that a few more midterm elections like 2022’s and the failure of Mr. Trump’s re-election campaign are all that’s needed for the country to return to normal. That mentality would keep the nation spiraling down a dangerous path, always one step away from another Jan. 6. Watergate taught us not to sit on our hands. It was the story of a coalition that fought tooth and nail for reforms that would make it difficult for another Nixon to succeed. Without those corrections, we would live in a political world that is even more broken than it is today.” NYT Op-Ed: The Jan. 6 Report Is Out. Now the Real Work Begins.
Democracy Docket: “If you’re wondering who Byron Donalds is, he’s a representative from southwest Florida who voted to reject Arizona and Pennsylvania’s electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election. He also supports Florida voter suppression law #SB90 and the state’s election police force.” Tweet
Joyce Vance, former US attorney (Podcast): “What can we learn from the witness interview transcripts released by the January 6 Committee? @PreetBharara and I discuss on a new episode of @cafedotcom Insider.” Tweet | CAFE Insider Podcast
Rachel Kleinfeld, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (Podcast): It’s been two years since the January 6th riot at the US Capitol in Washington DC. Over 900 people have been criminally charged, but political violence continues to be a threat…In our first episode, we bring on Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where she focuses on the intersection of democracy and security. She explains how the US has gotten to this point, how we should productively grapple with January 6, and why we’re not as close to the brink of civil war as it may seem. Slate (How To! Podcast): Prevent Another Jan. 6
