Republican Activist Jim Jatras Tells Iranian News of Reichstag Fire Scenario in Washington

Jan. 11 , 2021 (EIRNS)—James Jatras, former U.S. diplomat and advisor to the Senate Republican Leadership, gave a glimpse of the reality in Washington, D.C. in an interview with Iran’s Tasnim News Agency posted today. “The illusion of ‘democracy,’ constitution and rule of law is finally gone,” he said. “Of course this has nothing to do with phony calls of ‘racism’ but with demonization of the historic American nation and its traditions, values, and identity.” Jatras explicitly described the Jan. 6 events at the U.S. Capitol and the response to them as “as the functional equivalent” of the Reichstag Fire of 1933, which was used by the Nazis to establish their emergency rule. The fire itself was set by a Dutch anarchist, known for committing minor acts of arson, on Feb. 28, 1933, after the security the building was stripped. The subsequent Notverordnung allowed the Nazi government to name domestic enemies.

“After Jan. 20, it will be followed by a flurry of Executive actions and legislation (cheered on by most of the Republicans) to remove the last vestiges of what was a free country,” he explained. “The First Amendment (freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association) are only formalities now, the Second Amendment (right to bear arms, considered central to Americans’ concept of free citizenry) is in severe danger.”

The point of impeaching Trump now, Jatras went on, is not to remove him, which likely won’t happen but “to further the narrative that his followers are extremists and terrorists—not the BLM and Antifa thugs who burnt our cities with impunity this year.” Trump, he claimed, has little relevance to anything now. “Consider, here we are with our country falling apart and all he can think of on the way out is threatening Iran and designating the Houthis as terrorists,” he said, attributing to Donald Trump what should be really hung on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “Once he leaves office, he will be un-personed by the media and threatened with legal prosecution. In my opinion he will have to leave the country, if any safe country will have him. We are entering uncharted waters.”