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Jan. 6: Historic DOJ Failure, and The Role We Played In It. [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-01-06
In four years, amidst an obvious need to act promptly, the Department of Justice failed to solve the most dangerous crime in the agency’s history.
The Conspirators Were Never Identified
Jack Smith has dismissed all of his charges against Trump. His “election interference” case also had six unindicted co-conspirators, who will most likely never be named or indicted; and this was likely but a fraction of the total number of criminal conspirators.
The DOJ will never be able to tell us who planned the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol, nor hold accountable those who planned it.
Those people are out there somewhere right now, smirking and believing that the United States of America is an easy target. As of this moment, they are correct.
They Never Found The Bomber
One cannot believe the Jan. 6 attack was not planned: there was a bomber.
The bomber planted bombs in two separate high-value locations away from the Capitol. The bombs were likely not intended to go off, but they were both discovered at precisely the right time to draw security away from the Capitol as the attack was beginning. (It remains unclear, at least as of 2023 and probably as of today, how thoroughly the FBI has even investigated this remarkable coincidence.)
And as we all know, the bomber has never been found.
This person played a key role in a massive attack on our government. Given Trump’s control of DOJ for the next four years, do not expect this criminal—or the people who coordinated his actions—to ever be found.
They Never Held Fake Electors Accountable
In conjunction with the attempt to obstruct Congress through violence, there was a campaign to recruit and submit for Congressional certification, fake and fraudulent Electoral College electors, across multiple states, in order to overthrow the election and retain power. This is illegal. But the DOJ has held no one accountable for this crime.
Again — this is likely the final result. Sadly.
Historic DOJ Failure
This was the most important investigation the DOJ ever faced: a conspiracy which had the potential to violently decapitate the Legislative branch of government, and simultaneously stop our Constitutional transition of power, in order to allow the voted-out President to hold onto power and become a dictator.
The much-hyped “mafia approach” to the DOJ’s investigation never happened. Instead of working up the chain of command, DOJ stalled for years, then went straight for Trump. I didn’t like it at the time, but I wished Smith the best. It seemed a move born of desperation. It likely was.
Under competent leadership, four years was more than enough time for the investigation to succeed, and result in trials and convictions of the planners of the insurrection.
It failed.
The United States government failed. And we failed, as a nation.
The 2024 Election was a Consequence of this Government Failure.
Had the DOJ done its job, the Republicans Party would likely have been utterly discredited, with many damning trials and high-profile jury convictions for sedition, quite possibly including Trump himself. This would have crippled the Republican Party—a damage it completely deserved—and would have gotten through even to an electorate struggling under the burden of high egg prices. It would also have reflected the proper rule of law.
But it did not happen. Instead, millions of Americans simply internalized the message they were receiving from the DOJ: Jan. 6 was just a riot, and trying to overthrow an election is not really illegal. “GOP is the Party of Sedition” never became anything more than an empty campaign slogan, and the election became a referendum on the current administration’s handling of the price of eggs.
Why did the Department of Justice fail?
I cannot fully answer that question, although it obviously needs to be asked.
(I do know that the responsibility for Department performance lies with the Attorney General, and ultimately the President.)
Why did this community fail?
This is supposed to be an advocacy community. Yet, although there was significant debate by the site participants (the leadership not so much), this community by and large refused to demand accountability from the Biden administration for the DOJ’s failure as it was occurring, when it might have been early enough for the administration to change course. Why?
In one sense, the answers can be found in all of the comments-section debates held on this topic over the last four years. Those debates do not need to be repeated. But now that it is all said and done (and I trust everyone now realizes that it is all said and done), is there anything else that can be said looking back? I leave it to you all to answer that.
Why did I fail?
I failed, as well. Beginning 1.5 years after the attack, I took upon myself the goal to rouse the DailyKos community to the emergent failure occurring before our eyes at the DOJ. My hope was to play a role, even if a small one, in applying public pressure on the DOJ and the Biden Administration to change course.
I failed. No larger movement to apply pressure on this issue ever occurred. I was a small part of nothing.
I wrote 15 diaries on the topic, over roughly 2 years. I do not believe these writings significantly changed opinion on the site, nor were particularly successful in driving larger conversations.
The DOJ’s looming failure was so obvious to me. Why could I not persuade others in anywhere near the numbers needed?
What Have We Learned?
Life is meaningless if you do not learn from your mistakes. What have we learned from this one?
I leave you all with nothing but a poll, and a request for your heartfelt thoughts in the comments.
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