Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet
Trump’s troubles and January 6 attack on American democracy. By Chido Nwangwu
On June 9, 2022, the U.S House of Representatives Select Committee investigating the attack of January 6, 2021 on the United States Capitol began an open hearing. Since that day, it has released some crucial and revealing interviews with some key officials of government, presidential advisers, insurrectionists and other persons with operational roles on the event and issue. Essentially, the House has been looking into who, how, what and when!
It is very important to note, so far, from the investigations, testimonies and electronic documents, the investigators have strongly indicated that the January 6 insurrection had the “personal knowledge and direction” of Donald J. Trump, America’s 45th former president.
From what I have seen and read from testimonies, documents and documentaries, I believe they show evidence of coordinated actions by the instigator(s), leaders and co-conspirators, witnesses and accomplices organized to overturn, through unlawful schemes, incendiary lies and violent means, the lawful and constitutional outcome of the November 2020 presidential elections. They are/were mainly Republicans, conservatives, radicals and nativists. In that 2020 election, their leader Trump, was defeated — fair and square — by current president, Joseph R. Biden.
On July 11, 2022, the committee will amplify its focus to fully make the case that Mr. Trump “summoned a violent mob and directed them illegally to march on the United States Capitol.”
As the assault began, it all seemed so unreal. I call it existential unreality.
Their zealotry and pugnacity made normal methods of protests look like some kindergarten medley of pillow fights.
The head-banging clattering catastrophe and xenophobic bombast of the Trumpists were as loud as their bloody assault on police and security teams at the Capitol, at the U.S Congress.
The stack of shocking photos and vile videos of the insurrectionists and their racially polarizing actions and statements are overwhelming in their lawlessness and criminal auducity.
Like millions of other American citizens, I watched the brutal bravado build up. I saw them.
I heard them.
The Trump-speak.
The taunts.
The daring.
The Instigation.
The Trump-speak.
His Instigation.
The Consequences.
The Unfolding. Blood. Chants. Mayhem.
Trump’s lawyer Rudy Guiliani and other “strong” and “patriotic” trouble makers demanded that those who would not join in their overreach should be put to “trial by combat”!
Characters who had never taken a blow on their chin….
The bloody mayhem and largely the far right wing squads of private militia who mercilessly invaded, occupied and violated the congressional temple of American democratic faith on January 6, 2021, that Trump Day of Infamy! But the troubling and ominous goal was the toppling via violent impositions, extortion and mainpulation of the electoral sytem and laws and rules of the United States.
You still ask, to what purpose?
Simply; that a greedy and insatiable power monger, an ungracious, giddy, narcissistic man, a marketing genius, huckster and gang leader of sorts, will not respect the verified and statutory facts that he had been trounced by a better man of character, person of admirable decency.
The American think-tank, Brookings Institute, summarized the issue, this: “with a ring of close confidants, Trump conceived and implemented unprecedented schemes to—in his own words—“overturn” the election outcome. Among the results of this “Big Lie” campaign were the terrible events of January 6, 2021—an inflection point in what we now understand was nothing less than an attempted coup.”
Trump has remained in a twisted valley of rage and incredulity that an “older man” had vanquished him, the former loud-mouth of New York (now, relocated to Florida). He still cannot stand the fact of history that he’s listed as one of the few impeached presidents.
While Biden played the noble role and lived up to the challenge of statesmanship, the controversial Trump became more divisive and ungracious. Trump talked up more toxic nonsense. Trump spewed more bile. He spoke more moonshine and little commonsense!
Americans, a majority of Americans — especially recent immigrants find Trump loathsome. There are pockets of misguided and self-immolating Africans, especially Nigerians (at home and abroad) who still think Trump is “in agreement with some of our agenda and christian conservative values.” Makes you wonder: do they also include his, reportedly, referring to African countries as “shxt hxle countries”?
On a lighter note, I acknowledge the fact that some of the co-travelers on the Trump train do go only so far in their zeal to praise the boisterous billionaire. One thing, I must say, they’ve not yet done is foolishly claim that Trump’s fries and burger are better than an Italian panini sandwich! •Dr. Chido Nwangwu, author of the forthcoming 2022 book, MLK, Mandela & Achebe: Power, Leadership and Identity., is Founder & Publisher of the first African-owned, U.S-based newspaper on the internet, USAfricaonline.com, and established USAfrica in 1992 in Houston. He served as an adviser on Africa business to Houston’s former Mayor Lee Brown. Follow him @Chido247
