This has been percolating in the back of my head for some time now.
Let's start with what's been established by the January 6 Committee recently.
From Rep. Kinzinger's statement on July 21:
One week after the attack, Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy acknowledged the simple truth—President Trump should have acted immediately to stop the violence. [Emphasis added.]
And then a few sentences later:
What explains President Trump’s behavior?
Why did he not take immediate action in a time of crisis?
Because President Trump’s plan for January 6th was to halt or delay Congress’ official proceeding to count the votes.The mob attacking the Capitol quickly caused the evacuation of both the House and Senate.
The count ground to an absolute halt and was ultimately delayed for hours.
The mob was accomplishing President Trump’s purpose, so of course he did not intervene.
Here is what will be clear by the end of this hearing: President Trump did not fail to act during the 187 minutes between leaving the Ellipse and telling the mob to go home.
He chose not to act. [Emphasis added.]
And then even later:
With each step of his plan, he betrayed his oath of office and was derelict in his duty. [Emphasis added.]
This is the Presidential Oath of Office (from Art. II Sect 1 of the Constitution):
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
The rest of that evening's hearing focused on Trump's willful inaction on January 6.
Let's set aside PA State Senator (And Now GOP cand. For PA Gov) Doug Mastriano's later statement about seeing both breaches of the Capitol and look exclusively at his initial statement (dated Jan 06, 2021) condemning the violence in Washington DC on that day:
As a military veteran and retired colonel, I do not – nor would I ever – condone the violence we saw today. I join with all patriotic Americans in condemning what occurred in the Capitol. There never is justification for this sort of behavior. I not only love but I fought for this country, our constitution and its rule of law.
My wife and I went to Washington, DC, today to support President Trump which should not surprise anyone familiar with my views on this election and my concerns about its integrity.
My position on lawlessness is equally as clear. When it was apparent that this was no longer a peaceful protest, my wife and I left the area and made our way out of the area. At no point did we enter the Capitol building, walk on the Capitol steps or go beyond police lines.
Today was a sad day for our country. It hit me especially hard because I’ve spent most of my adult life defending our nation’s freedoms and ensuring that our constitutional rights are protected. Those who violated those laws must be prosecuted. [Emphasis added.]
It's been 564 days since Trump's mob stormed the Capitol in order to stop the certification of the electoral votes. 564 days since Doug Mastriano and his wife left the area when it became apparent that it was no longer a peaceful process.
So why hasn't Doug Mastriano denounced Trump's inactivity regarding the events of that day? Or does he condone them instead?
If it was part of Trump's job description (at least according to his oath) to preserve and protect the constitutional process of a peaceful transition of power, then why hasn't Doug Mastriano commented on Trump's inaction in protecting that process from a violent mob?
He (and his wife) knew pretty quickly that the protest had turned violent. Ultimately (as we've seen from the hearings' testimony) that it was Trump's responsibility to stop the mob's violence.
Trump did nothing and Doug Mastriano has said nothing about Trump's dereliction of duty since.
Shouldn't Doug Mastriano have said something about it by now?
