Jonathan Turley Identifies Jan. 6 as ‘Date of Infamy’—for Nancy Pelosi

Feb. 21 , 2021 (EIRNS)—In an “opinion column” published in The Hill on Saturday, Feb. 20, attorney Jonathan Turley, who is also a professor of law at George Washington University Law School, stated that “Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) captured the outrage of many citizens when he declared the Capitol riot last month to be the Pearl Harbor of this generation that ‘will live forever in infamy.’ He went on to say that the comparison is apt, if viewed from the standpoint of a lack of preparation by the U.S. Congress itself, despite numerous warnings.

Law enforcement agencies in the Capitol have trained intensively for violent protests and possible breaches to the Capitol and other government buildings. Many were already on high alert, due to the protests in Washington during the previous summer. So, when the breach seemed to occur rapidly and easily, many were shocked.

Many troubling questions have arisen in the past weeks, including contradictory reports about who knew/did what and when. For example, “Congress was warned repeatedly of possible violence on Jan. 6 by the Trump administration and law enforcement agencies. National Guard troops were offered to the Capitol days beforehand but declined. While large numbers of protesters were expected, Capitol Police deployed a ridiculously small force, with roughly 1,800 officers facing more than 8,000 rioters. District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) reportedly limited a Guard presence before the protests to help with traffic and crowd control.”

Instead of pausing to consider these numerous conflicting reports, Turley points out that the Democrats instead rushed to a second impeachment trial, without holding any hearings before the impeachment trial, and then went for weeks without calling any witnesses.

He concluded his column, “The second Trump impeachment drilled home a narrative that the riot was primarily the fault of one man, Trump, and by implication not the fault of others. Pelosi told MSNBC’s Joy Reid that Trump should be charged as “an accessory” to murder “because he instigated that insurrection that caused those deaths and this destruction.

“If framing scandals in Washington is an art form, then Pelosi is our resident Rembrandt. Of course, history has shown that truth and responsibility are rarely unequivocal or exclusive. None of this would relieve Trump of his own responsibility on Jan. 6. I previously condemned Trump’s speech and his reckless role in this riot. However, there is ample evidence to suggest that the vulnerabilities exposed on Jan. 6 may have been due to Congress itself. So Schumer may be right that Jan. 6 is a date that will live infamy—but few in Washington seem too eager to confirm the full list of the infamous.”