The Atlantic
Could a truth and reconciliation commission help the country heal?
January 23, 2021
Lawfare
Getty / The Atlantic
Until the day that a violent mob stormed the Capitol building, it seemed possible that Donald Trump would be able to shuffle into postpresidential life without facing any real consequences. President-elect Joe Biden had indicated his anxiety over a potential prosecution of the former president. Commentators muttered about the political divisiveness of pursuing Trump after he left office. Better, perhaps, to look forward, not backward, as President Barack Obama famously said of potential lawbreaking under the Bush administration.
Then, after being egged on by the president on January 6, pro-Trump rioters broke into the Capitol and terrorized staffers and members of Congress. The House of Representatives impeached Trump a second time setting in motion a process that, if successful, could bar him from seeking the presidency in 2024. According to
Revelations shed new light on why US Capitol police were so quickly overrun by rioters. Once the mob began to move, a police officer issued an order not to use deadly force, which explains why officers outside the building did not draw their weapons as the crowd closed in.
George Washington preserved the Revolution’s ideals and firmly established a peaceful transition of power America needs to refocus itself on its founding ideals.