President Joe Biden had the unique opportunity of speaking from the oval office about an impeachment trial that wasn’t his own. Thanks to the unprecedented move on the part of Congressional Democrats (and yes, some Republicans too) former President Donald Trump is still being harassed by incensed lawmakers after departing Washington D.C.
As almost anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock for the past year probably knows by now, the former president was acquitted by the Senate for crimes that he apparently did not commit (or maybe he did, but a lot of Democrats also committed, so it would be inconvenient … you know what, you get the idea), and Democrats, including party leader and president Joe Biden, had to face up to the fact that they weren’t able to mead out that one final humiliation.
While the impeachment trial was predicated on the idea that Trump-inspired rioters to rush Capitol Hill, inciting insurrection (or possibly something else, depending on which senator you ask [I’m looking at you, Schumer]) and should therefore not only be dismissed with much prejudice but banned from ever running for public office again. While there would likely have been other punishments, they were not then and have not yet been admitted to.
Biden, however, did his very best to spin the news of Trump’s acquittal, framing his statement in a way that made it sound an awful lot like Trump was found Guilty. To recap; he was not found guilty, he was acquitted but those sent to represent us in Washington seem to feel that they can basically make this up as they go along, and say he’s guilty so many times, maybe next time it will stick.
Via White House.gov:
“It was nearly two weeks ago that Jill and I paid our respects to Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who laid in honor in the Rotunda after losing his life protecting the Capitol from a riotous, violent mob on January 6, 2021.
“Today, 57 Senators – including a record 7 Republicans – voted to find former President Trump guilty for inciting that deadly insurrection on our very democracy. The Senate vote followed the bipartisan vote to impeach him by the House of Representatives. While the final vote did not lead to a conviction, the substance of the charge is not in dispute. Even those opposed to the conviction, like Senate Minority Leader McConnell, believe Donald Trump was guilty of a ‘disgraceful dereliction of duty’ and ‘practically and morally responsible for provoking’ the violence unleashed on the Capitol.”
That makes it sound an awful lot like Trump is guilty, doesn’t it? Yeah, the phrasing is good, and the framing is good, but as they say, “figures don’t lie but liars can figure.” In other words, if the facts are being explained away, maybe take note about who stands to gain something, by the way, it’s being explained.
Carrying on:
“Tonight, I am thinking about those who bravely stood guard that January day. I’m thinking about all those who lost their lives, all those whose lives were threatened, and all those who are still today living with terror they lived through that day. And I’m thinking of those who demonstrated the courage to protect the integrity of our democracy – Democrats, and Republicans, election officials and judges, elected representatives and poll workers – before and after the election.
“This sad chapter in our history has reminded us that democracy is fragile. That it must always be defended. That we must be ever vigilant. That violence and extremism has no place in America. And that each of us has a duty and responsibility as Americans, and especially as leaders, to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.
“That is how we end this uncivil war and heal the very soul of our nation. That is the task ahead. And it’s a task we must undertake together. As the UnitedStates (sic) of America.”
Now he cares about cops because Democrats felt danger. Now he wants to talk about democracy after the election was successfully stolen, and now he wants to talk about violent extremism from Americans after BLM and Antifa burned cities to the ground. There’s no great secret here, it’s just lies, rolled in sugar and shoved down our throats under the guise of care and compassion.
