When colonial Americans declared their independence on July 4, 1776, they rejected more than British rule. They explicitly condemned the British form of government and the unlegislated norms, traditions and conventions of the royal head of government.
Recent hearings by the Special Commission investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol revealed that efforts to counter the monarchical model are still unfinished.
The central question: does a country’s democracy guarantee loyalty to the constitution or leaders?
Aussie Lira:
Competing allegiances
The January 6 hearing provides exposure to violent footage and dramatic evidence at its best – the question is, to what end? See the article : Harris said Abbott went straight into politics after panicking Texas immigrants..
The sixth and final hearing of the Special Committee on Capitol Hill Riots on January 6 got to the heart of the question of loyalty.
Liz Cheney, the top Republican lawmaker on the committee, said that of the more than 1,000 witnesses who testified before their committee, some have been threatened to remain “loyal” to former President Trump.
US citizens do not swear allegiance to any monarch, individual, or party—they swear allegiance to the Constitution, which most Americans treat with the respect otherwise reserved for religious entities.
To this day, almost every U.S. government official vows to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Nearly 20 hours of public hearings before the committee have revealed that for many members of the Trump administration — particularly Vice President Mike Pence, the White House counsel’s office and Attorney General Bill Barr — the oath of allegiance to the Constitution was the basis for their actions. public service.
Political violence and dissatisfaction with democracy
However, for a significant and powerful minority—notably chief of staff Mark Meadows, President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, former legal counsel John Eastman, and President Trump himself—it seemed not. See the article : Indonesia leader targets food crisis during Russia-Ukraine peace mission.
Recent polls show that only half of US citizens are satisfied with their democracy. Two-thirds said the US system of government needed major changes, if not complete reform.
Such pessimistic attitudes are extreme compared to, for example, 80% of Australians who are satisfied with their democracy.
Dissatisfaction with democracy and its institutions is not a new thing in modern US life.
What is new, however, is that these trends coincide with a significant increase in the number of US citizens who support political violence. This resulted in the first attempt at hostile takeover by Congress on January 6th.
In May 1995, less than 10% of Americans said that “violent action by citizens against the government is justified.”
In October 2015, 23% agreed with this statement. In December 2021, almost a year after the unrest of 6 January, 34% agreed.
John Eastman, a well-known and once respected lawyer who advised Trump on his re-election campaign, agreed and foresaw such violence, saying:
there has been violence in the history of our country to protect democracy or the republic.
Among those who wanted to refute the election, there was a view that the well-being of American democracy depended on the continued rule of President Trump.
Indeed, according to Cassidy Hutchinson, a former assistant to Trump’s chief of staff, many in the immediate vicinity of Trump were expecting a riot and deemed it necessary.
Hutchinson’s testimony provided a convincing overview that Trump and several others understood the undemocratic and potentially violent nature of their proposed actions – which had been planned several weeks in advance – but continued them unabashedly.
What has the Jan 6 committee taught us?
To undermine US democracy, they undermined it. This may interest you : Rudy Giuliani hit back “over politics” following Roe’s move.
The January 6 Committee has shown that US democracy still depends on the actions of individuals. As Bennie Thompson, chairman of the committee, said:
A handful of election officials in several key states stood between Donald Trump and the breakthrough in democracy.
At the end of the latest and arguably the most important public hearings to date on 6 January, Cheney reaffirmed the importance of such individuals:
Our nation is protected by those who keep the oath of our constitution. Our nation is preserved by those who know the fundamental difference between right and wrong.
Will Trump be indicted?
Faced with the question of laws and leaders, the founders chose laws. But many of the people the committee is currently investigating come under intense scrutiny over whether they chose Trump’s loyalty over the law.
Many people would say that Attorney General Merrick Garland now has an obvious path. He must decide whether to take an unprecedented step and prosecute the former president from initiating and inciting the rebellion to violating campaign finance laws.
Although an estimated two-thirds of U.S. citizens support Trump’s accusation of his alleged attempts to postpone the election, even some Democrats have expressed concern about possible traps.
There is a danger that the Ministry of Justice will seem too partisan and could set a precedent where opposing parties will indict former presidents as soon as they step down.
But perhaps more importantly, a former U.S. federal prosecutor said there was also a high probability that the jury would never convict the former president:
Despite a mountain of evidence that would convict most people multiple times, Trump would not be convicted. Conviction in a criminal case requires a unanimous decision. The 12-member jury has Trump supporters.
Where to from here?
The United States continues to struggle with the royal concept that no one is above the law.
The United States has reinvented itself in unique and unprecedented ways, most notably by establishing a new state based on the rule of law instead of kings.
This critical moment, when the country’s most powerful official is under investigation, gives the world’s oldest democracy the opportunity to embrace its revolutionary roots and finally abandon the monarchy in all its forms.
