Lock Him Up!
According to the New York Times, Donald Trump reacted “approvingly” when he heard, live on television on January 6, 2021, insurrectionists chanting “Hang Mike Pence!” It has come to light that, immediately after being with the president in the Oval Office, Trump’s White House chief of staff Mark Meadows then went into his own office and reported to his staff that Trump disapproved when he learned his Vice President had been whisked to safety. Meadows then told his staff that Trump said words to the effect that, “Maybe they [the chanting insurrectionists] should hang Mike Pence.”
An unnamed witness has confirmed Trump said this. A second witness has confirmed that Mr. Meadows reported the incident to his staff. The Times went on to say that “It is not clear what tone Mr. Trump was said to have used.” In other words, was Trump kidding? Under the circumstances, does it matter what tone he was using?
The United States criminal code defines treason as “Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere.” When an American incites a mob to attack the Capitol, then joins with that same attacking mob and their opinion to hang the Vice President, that sounds like treason to me, as defined by the quoted statute.
The statute goes on to say that anyone who is guilty of treason “shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned for not less than five years … and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.” It seems clear, therefore, at the conclusion of the January 6 Committee hearings that the committee should recommend to the Department of Justice that Donald Trump be indicted for Treason, together with other crimes against the United States.
It is expected that, now that the committee has laid the groundwork for the public hearings next month, those hearings will be held over 6 separate days, the first on the 6th of June and the last on the 23rd. Once the committee has completed its work it will make their recommendations to the Department of Justice. Those recommendations should include a wide variety of charges against various actors in the Trump administration. Chief among those charges should be Donald Trump’s charge of treason. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.