Attorney General Merrick Garland and President Joe Biden delivered a one-two punch for democracy on January 5 and 6. The Attorney General, on January 5, said: “The Justice Department remains committed to holding all January 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law — whether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy. We will follow the facts wherever they lead.” (Emphasis added.)
President Biden, on the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, said: “For the first time in our history, a President had not just lost an election. He tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob reached the Capitol. A former President of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. He’s done so because he values power over principle, because he sees his own interest as more important than his country’s interest and America’s interests.” He then added: “His bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our Constitution; he can’t accept he lost.” (Emphasis added.)
It’s been a year since the insurrection, but we finally got the truth, and a rallying cry, from the two men essential to the war against Trump’s attack on democracy. It will be up to the Justice Department to prosecute those who planned, promoted, and led the insurrection. And, it is clearly up to President Biden to lead the charge against the fascism that is creeping into our politics.