Let's begin with a stipulation that some Trump supporters will not like, but I think it's important to restate: I've been highly and rightfully critical of the events of January 6, 2021. The Capitol riot, designed to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power, was a national disgrace -- fueled by weeks of election-related lies from Donald Trump and senior people in his orbit. He bears a great deal of responsibility for what happened that day, even if he's right to point out that many of his critics ignore some facts and details that complicate their narrative. I've said this consistently for years, and I still believe it. I also believe that those who seek to wield 1/6 as a source of political attacks do themselves no favors by papering over some of the realities mentioned above, or distorting and exaggerating what actually happened. Reality was bad enough; embellishments undermine their arguments. Polling has shown that most Americans generally agree with with criticisms of Trump related to the post-election discord of 2020, yet Trump won the 2024 election anyway because his opponents have failed on so many other fronts.
I also suspect that some voters were able to bring themselves to vote for Trump -- or perhaps downplay the Capitol riot in their own minds -- at least partially due to the shamelessness and hypocrisy of so many Democrats who were prosecuting a political case against him. For instance, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries drew loud applause in the chamber last week, and viral hosannas on social media, over this apparent 'gotcha' moment:
There are no election deniers on our side of the aisle. pic.twitter.com/2gmBIymaZF
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) January 3, 2025
As you can see, Jeffries is showcasing his one-liner across his platforms. But he himself indulged in cheap election denial after Donald Trump's 2016 victory. In that clip, he is attempting to erase his own comments and conduct, counting on the media not to remind anyone of how he comported himself last time Trump won an election. But we remember:
Hakeem Jeffries said there were no election deniers on his side of the aisle during the Speaker’s speech… just saying. pic.twitter.com/xX6Jbg9saW
— Rep. Don Bacon 🇺🇸✈️🏍️⭐️🎖️ (@RepDonBacon) January 3, 2025
'Lie, cheat, steal, illegitimate.' Much democracy; many norms. Spare us, Hakeem. Outgoing President Joe Biden just gave a presidential award to Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson, who co-chaired the January 6th investigative committee. He was honored, we were told, for his commitment to "democracy" and "his lifelong dedication to safeguarding our Constitution.” This is the very same Bennie Thompson, in case you were curious:
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(For reference, Bennie Thompson refused to certify George W. Bush’s 2004 victory in Ohio). https://t.co/ZOV6CFICGS
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 2, 2025
Same Bennie Thompson, btw: https://t.co/ZOV6CFICGS pic.twitter.com/pmmKNQlqCZ
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 2, 2025
Good, heroic guy. There are many other such examples, including Hillary Clinton and others. Notably, zero Democrats objected to the certification of Trump's sweeping triumph this time around, and it doesn't take an overly cynical mind to conclude that they eschewed such stunts for the sole purpose of promulgating the current talking point that Democrats respect election results -- and that "election deniers" only exist on the other side of the aisle. That has not been Democrats' overall modus operandi for decades, however:
It should be noted that today's proceeding was the first time no Democrat objected to the certification of a Republican president since the certification of George H.W. Bush in 1989. https://t.co/TIgo6UNY7Y
— Byron York (@ByronYork) January 7, 2025
Even Democrat-aligned alleged 'fact-checker' Politfact has confirmed this track record. I'll leave you with this, which is a good question:
Reminder that 1/3 of Democrats boycotted the 2017 inauguration because they falsely claimed Trump stole the election and was an illegitimate president. Will those still be election deniers in 2025 or will they show?
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) January 6, 2025
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