Betrayal by Jonathan KarlBetrayal by Jonathan Karl

Perhaps the most direct connections between the Former President Donald Trump and the attempted coup during the acts of sedition that occurred on January 6, 2021, were revealed by the White House Correspondent for ABC, Jonathan Karl, in his book Betrayal. He cites sources from other ABC correspondents as well as interviews with the principals, including Donald Trump.

He documents that the day didn’t evolve from a demonstration that spun out-of-control, but that it was a carefully planned effort to prevent the peaceful transfer of power to a legally elected new administration. Starting with the effort to overturn the election results in the states, each step became more extreme and desperate. The insurrection at the Capitol failed only because of the efforts of a few brave Capitol police. The fact that it didn’t succeed doesn’t nullify how close we came to a mortal blow to our democracy.

The recent filing of the first prosecution on charges of sedition will not be the last as the discovery of additional evidence moves up the chain of command, both in the Congress and the White House. The majority voted in the Senate to convict Trump at his second impeachment trial following the incident, and that seems to have been lost in the confusion. A conviction required a two-thirds vote rather than a majority, so the former president was once again able to escape accountability.

The House Select Committee continues to dig into the events of the day to discover the involvement not only of individuals, but also members of Congress in the plot. What is most distressing is not only the action of the former president, and his cohorts, but the division in our nation that has spread solely on the basis of his deliberate lies. Most likely, we will not discover the damage for decades as the insidious propaganda campaign of fear and lies that provoked a backlash after the election that has spun out-of-control.

Documented evidence of the validity of the 2020 election doesn’t appear to sway most Republicans, who continue to believe that the election was fraudulent. Facts don’t seem to matter. The partisan grab for power regardless of the cost, the law, or the ethics has created a new low in American politics. The only operative is the fear of the former president and the power he holds over the upcoming primaries this spring. The fact that he is disgraced by two impeachments and is no longer in office appears to only have a slight effect on his followers. This division is more severe because many supporters are former military officers who see it as their duty to subvert the democratic process simply out of loyalty.

President Putin got a good deal when he intervened in the 2016 elections that created a pattern of chaos, distrust, hatred, and confusion that has weakened the United States in many fundamental ways. It not only has further worsened a dysfunctional government that it is no longer able to legislate, nor is it able provide for the basic needs of its people in times of crisis. Putin’s strategy was even more successful than his numerous cyber-attacks. Our friends, as well as our enemies, no longer see America as a shining light on a hill.

You may not agree with pessimism or my analysis, but the mood of the country suggests otherwise. We distrust not only our institutions, but distrust also each other. When we see our fellow Americans as enemies, then we have lost the cohesion that has held this nation together through wars and economic depressions.

by John Suddath This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.