The nation continues to reel from the unprecedented siege on the United States Capitol by pro-Trump extremists, fueled by outgoing President Donald Trump's lies that widespread voter fraud orchestrated by Democrats delivered a false victory to President-elect Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Just before the rioters descended on the Capitol and forced lawmakers to evacuate, the President repeated these election lies at a rally of his supporters and encouraged them to go to the Capitol and air their grievances.
After the protesters were done shattering windows, smearing excrement across the walls, and ransacking offices, at least five people were dead.
The Democratic-led House of Representatives has since filed an article of impeachment against Trump for inciting an insurrection, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), is calling for Trump's immediate removal. A growing number of Democratic lawmakers are also pushing for the expulsion or resignation of any of their Republican colleagues who propped up Trump's election lies by objecting to electoral votes in swing states the President lost.
Only days after the attack that put countless lives in danger, the very Republicans who amplified lies about the 2020 election and falsely warned their constituents that it was somehow stolen are now calling on Democrats to move on, citing the need for "healing" and "unity."
Conservative Wall Street Journal columnist Kimberley Strassel echoed these claims in a lengthy Twitter thread.
2) I am struck by the responses to this from those on the left, insisting that Trump must be held "accountable"--no peace, no healing. Impeachment ho! That seems to forget the past three years, how we got here.
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) January 12, 2021
3) There are still tens of millions of conservatives still waiting for someone to be held "accountable" for three years of a Russia-collusion hoax--the Democrats' own effort to overturn the 2016 election. And yes, that is still on many, many Americans' minds.
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) January 12, 2021
4) And that's the point. Someone needs to break the cycle. Since Biden campaigned on uniting the nation, now would be a good time to follow through on that promise, tell the House to move on. Show the leadership he claims to own.
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) January 12, 2021
Strassel falsely characterized the Special Counsel investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign's interactions with Russian officials as a "hoax" and lied that it was a Democratic party effort to overturn the results of the 2016 election. In reality, Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified that Trump had likely obstructed justice and cited numerous interactions between Trump campaign officials and Russian actors.
The Russia investigation didn't lead to Trump's impeachment and Democrats' comments on it definitely didn't lead to a deadly attempted insurrection.
Strassel's take was roundly criticized.
Strassel was yet another Republican calling for "grace" and "healing" without any accountability.
The House is expected to impeach Trump for a second time on Wednesday.
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The Orlando Sentinel
