Dept. Of Justice & Homeland Security Are Terrified Of Offending Trump, So They Have Said Nothing About The Unprecedented Attack On The Capitol; Meanwhile, Republicans Threaten More Violence If Trump Is Held Accountable For His Sedition And Armed Protests Are Planned At All 50 State Capitols For January 16-17-18-19-20 (And Beyond)

Tim Miller of the Bulwark writes that Republicans are scrambling to "dodge responsibility for having incited the violent mob attack on the U.S. Capitol" while also attempting to stoke even more violence whether Donald Trump is held to account or not. CNN's Jake Tapper reports that even those Republicans who didn't actively support the coup want to pretend it didn't happen.

On Tuesday, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) reported on Tuesday that some of her Congressional colleagues helped individuals do some "reconnaissance" in the Capitol on the day before the attack. (Sherrill is a Navy veteran and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, so her choice of words is no mistake.) She vowed to hold accountable "those members of Congress who incited the violent crowd, those members of Congress that attempted to help our president undermine our democracy".

Politico also reported that Federal investigators have said some of the undisclosed evidence they have uncovered about a potential "seditious conspiracy" will be "shocking". (Or not, depending on how closely you've been paying attention to news over the past year and how much you know about America's hidden history.)

Trump should face criminal charges for inciting the Capitol riot and inciting the murder of a Capitol Police Officer, though the latter charge is a longshot.

The federal criminal code (18 USC 373) makes it a crime to solicit, command, induce or "endeavor to persuade" another person to commit a felony that includes the threat or use of physical force. Simply put, it is a crime to persuade another person, or a mob of several thousand, to commit a violent felony. . . . 

Trump passes the test. As his statements make clear, he brought the members of the mob to D.C. He convened them at a rally; he and others inflamed the audience with lies about a stolen election and their duty to save the country from the certification that was underway at that moment. He pointed them at the Capitol and persuaded them to “do something about it.” He offered to go with them. He had every reason to believe his rhetoric would lead to violence . . .

Last Wednesday's insurrection was not "a one-off protest that got out of hand". It was one part of "an ongoing, multi-pronged assault". These "hostile actors" have worked covertly in the past, but the authoritarianism, the racism, and the concept for democracy is now out in the open. For many Americans, it's a chance to finally release all the hatred that's been roiling inside them for so long.

Miller runs down what's going on:

1) An FBI bulletin reports that "Armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols from 16 January through at least 20 January, and at the U.S. Capitol from 17 January through 20 January."

2) Militia members are plotting a January 19 action in Washington, D.C.

3) TheDonald.Win forum members are calling for political executions.

4) The president who incited the insurrection [spoke on Tuesday] in Alamo, Texas. This symbolism is not lost on his supporters.

5) After the insurrection, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell—who has sponsored and funded the "news outlets" that fomented it—put a video on Instagram saying that the effort to overturn the election is not over; that this is "the biggest crime in election history"; that Biden's inauguration should be delayed if Trump does not stay in power; and that keeping Trump in power will "prevent civil war." As of yesterday, Lindell was not backing down from his continued claims of fraud.

6) Since the insurrection many of the "news" outlets that fomented it are completely unchastened, and their propaganda is continuing to be shared by Republican elected officials. . . .

Republicans in government are continuing to try to derail the transfer of power:

1) The FBI, DOJ, and DHS have all been silent about the attack, avoiding any public briefing for fear of offending the president who perpetrated it. (Though it should be said that the FBI seems to be doing a fair job of tracking down and arresting suspects.)

2) Administration officials who are ostensibly in charge of homeland security are resigning rather than engaging in crisis management.

3) The Senate isn't even in session. Mitch McConnell cited their vacation as an excuse for not holding a Trump impeachment trial. There have been no hearings about the sacking of the Capitol.

4) For the first time in the last ten transitions, the GOP Senate is not confirming Biden cabinet members prior to the inauguration. That's right: There will be no Homeland Security secretary, attorney general, secretary of State, or secretary of Health and Human Services when Joe Biden takes office in the wake of a domestic terror attack during a pandemic which has killed nearly 400,000 Americans.

5) Republican officials continue to call for investigations into imaginary fraud in order to appease the insurrectionists.

6) Several Republican officials have threatened the possibility of more violence if Trump is held to account for his actions.

Take all of these data points together and what you have is an active, ongoing threat to our democratic system from forces both inside and outside the government. . . . 

For months Republicans told the country that they were just "humoring" the president. That there was nothing to worry about. That was a lie . . . They are running the same play again . . . Asking that America turn the page, hope for the best, and run out the clock of the Trump presidency. And pray that nothing else bad happens.

If we haven't learned what a terrible "strategy" this is by now, then we never will