At long last a former Department of Justice prosecutor has revealed that Trump’s attempted coup d’etat constitutes sedition and noted that his fascist acolytes who invaded the U.S. Capitol will likely face sedition charges. A very serious Civil War-era federal crime.
Over the course of two-and-a-half months Donald Trump incited his rabid base to insurrection by falsely claiming he won the general election in a landslide and that it was being stolen by nefarious players and massive fraud.
All of his claims were pure lies, but on January 6 those lies produced the results he longed for in the form of an attack on the United States Capitol. The express purpose of Trump’s insurrectionists was overthrowing the legal government by force; what is generally know as sedition. For his part, although he wasn’t present at the Capitol, he did, in fact:
“Willfully advocate or teach the overthrow of the government by force, publish material that advocates the overthrow of the government by force, and organize persons to overthrow the government by force.”
It can hardly be argued that the deadly attack on the Capitol on January 6 was not solely to overthrow the legal government by force. It was, in effect, an attempted bloody coup d’état that claimed the lives of 5 Americans – including a Capitol police officer.
Many outlets still label the insurrection a “riot,” but any sane human being understands that it was a Trump-inspired attack to “oppose by force the authority of the government” as well as “use force to prevent, hinder or delay the execution of any law of the United States.”
There was, after all, a concerted effort by Trump’s insurrectionists to hunt down former Vice President Mike Pence to be dragged out and hanged by the neck until dead for not doing what Trump demanded; “prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States.
Many of Trump’s insurrectionists also actively sought out Democratic representatives, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, for their part in conducting the official government business of certifying Electoral College votes.
On Sunday the former Justice Department prosecutor overseeing the criminal investigation into the January 6 insurrection, Michael Sherwin, told “60 Minutes” that “evidence indicates sedition charges will be filed against some suspects.”
Mr. Sherwin added: “I believe the facts do support those charges. And I think that, as we go forward, more facts will support that.”
When queried about whether the investigations would touch Trump, Mr. Sherwin said:
“We have people looking at everything. It’s unequivocal that Trump was the magnet that brought the people to D.C. on the 6th. Maybe the president is culpable for those actions. But also, you see in the public record too, militia members saying, ‘You know what? We did this because Trump just talks a big game. He’s just all talk. We did what he wouldn’t do.’”
But alas, that would be a bunk defense argument and not preclude Trump being charged with seditious conspiracy according to 18 U.S. Code § 2384.
Trump or any of his “stop the steal” agitators did not have to actively participate in the deadly insurrection. They simply had to “talk a big game” for two-and-a-half months, including the day of the attempted coup d’état, to incite the insurrectionists to attack the Capitol “to prevent, hinder or delay the execution of any law of the United States.”
Although many Americans demand that justice, swift justice, be inflicted on criminals, no matter their crime, America’s justice system is purposely slow, methodical and eventually effective. There is a famous quote attributed to Sun Tzu that says: “Wheels of justice grind slow but grind fine” meaning that eventually criminals will be brought to justice.
In this case, the insurrectionists who acted on Trump’s call to storm the Capitol, and then killed a police officer on the way to attempting to “prevent … the execution” of a law of the United States, are guilty of sedition.
One cannot help but believe that the Justice Department’s thorough investigations will prove that to be the case. That includes bringing charges against Trump, and hopefully many other Trump affiliates for their part as seditious conspirators.
Even though Trump was not part of the mob that stormed and breached the Capitol, he was the instigator and if there is any justice, he will be fined and sent to a federal penitentiary for not more than 20 years; which is the least he deserves for inciting an insurrection to overthrow the United States government to remain in power.
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.
