What would Washington say?, by Clarence Page

As America’s birthday approached in the course of the Home se- lect committee’s investigation of the Jan. 6 assault final yr on the Capitol, I used to be reminded of George Washington’s warning about political events—and why he thought they have been a horrible concept.

Political events had begun to emerge within the former colonies. However President Washington feared that when Individuals voted based on celebration loyalty, fairly than widespread pursuits, it will foster a “spirit of revenge,” and allow the rise of “crafty, formidable and unprincipled males” who would “usurp for themselves the reins of presidency; destroying afterwards the very engines, which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”

With that, George Washington grew to become not solely the nation’s first president, but additionally the primary to depart in a peaceable switch of energy, a practice that Individuals have proudly upheld ever since—till the mob violence by sad Trump supporters on Jan. 6 final yr.

The bipartisan committee’s new revelations defy makes an attempt by Donald Trump’s cheerleaders to chuckle off the Jan. 6 rebellion as some kind of “legit political discourse,” because the Republican Nationwide Committee described it in February.

As a substitute, the hearings have supplied disturbing proof that the revolt was a part of a a lot bigger plot by Donald Trump and his cronies to overturn the election by any means attainable.

The obvious plot included violence, pretend electors, discussions about declaring martial regulation, the seizing of voting machines, groundless lawsuits, intimidation of state officers and native election staff and a attainable overthrow of the Justice Division that might have made Richard Nixon’s “Saturday evening bloodbath” seem like novice evening.

The Home choose committee has solely two Republicans, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, each of whom have been censured by the GOP for his or her participation.

However the hearings have give you a lot damning proof in opposition to Mr. Trump and his cronies that the previous president reportedly is upset that Home GOP chief McCarthy didn’t battle to place extra Republicans on the committee as a substitute of preventing to maintain them off.

Heading into the July 4 recess, essentially the most dramatic testimony got here from Cassidy Hutchinson, 26, a former aide to then-White Home chief of workers Mark Meadows. She’s going to in all probability be most remembered for breaking the White Home code of silence on the alleged ketchup caper.

She recounted how she had walked into the Oval Workplace eating room after Mr. Trump heard that Lawyer Common Invoice Barr stated he had not seen sufficient fraud within the 2020 election to have modified the end result. Mr. Trump was not completely happy.

After she seen “there was ketchup, dripping down the wall,” and a shattered porcelain plate on the ground, she stated the valet defined that the president had “thrown his lunch in opposition to the wall.”

She additionally recounted listening to that Mr. Trump lunged for the steering wheel when his Secret Service element refused to take him to the Capitol in the course of the riot. Elements of the story have been disputed by Mr. Trump and others, however I, for one, am ready for them to say that, as Hutchinson did, beneath oath.

The ketchup and Secret Service episode are solely tantalizing sidelights to the primary story, which is Mr. Trump’s refusal to depart workplace peacefully, his obvious makes an attempt to cheat his approach again into energy and obvious efforts by his fellow partisans to assist him do it and attempt to cowl it up.

A parade of Mr. Trump’s associates and congressional allies reportedly have sought blanket pardons, making us all surprise, what did they hope to be pardoned for?

And what, I’m wondering, would President Washington say? In all probability, “I attempted to warn you.”

The author is a syndicated columnist and senior member of the Chicago Tribune editorial board.