Donald Trump did very little to protect democracy on January 6th and Elizabeth Cheney, unlike many other Republicans, acknowledged that. She was one of only 2 Republicans on the Congressional Select Committee and she knew the actions of the president were shameful.
This is what she said, in her opening statement:
“At 6:01 p.m. on January 6th after he had spent hours watching a violent mob besiege, attack and invade our Capitol Donald Trump tweeted that he did not condemn attack. Instead, he justified it. This is what Trump said:
These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever.
Trump made it sound like they had done an honorable thing. Besieging the Capitol and rioting so much that 5 people died that day.
President Trump believed his supporters at the Capitol “were doing what they should be doing.” While Trump’s staff pleaded with him to call off the rioter, and to instruct his supporters to leave and while he was aware of the rioters’ chants to hang Mike Pence the president responded with these words: “Maybe our supporters have the right idea. Mike Pence deserved it.”…
At 1:49 after the Capitol grounds were breached one of the Capitol police members “officially declared it a riot.”
Meanwhile, Proud Boys were in a leadership position. Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola breached the upper window on the Upper West Terrace at 2:13 p.m. The House recessed at 2:18 p.m. The crowd chanted to “hang Mike Pence” over and over again. The scene was loud, violent and chaotic. At 2:25 the Crypt was breached. Many police were assaulted. The police were repeatedly assaulted by citizens as they were badly outnumbered by the rioters. Rioters flooded into the Capitol building. 140 police were wounded that day defending the building from the rampaging mob. 5 people died. This is what vigilantism is all about. Not democracy.
Trump loved the rioters; Mike Pence not so much. Even though Pence had been his loyal foot soldier for 4 years Trump abandoned him to the angry mob. Many of those rioters were later charged and convicted of serious crimes for their” service” in favor of their master. The courts knew a riot when they saw one.