U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order.”[1] These tweets were, obviously, totally ineffectual at stopping the violence. And they did not reflect any substantial effort on the part of the President of the United States to protect the Congress.
During this time, not only did President Trump fail to issue unequivocal statements ordering the insurrectionists to leave the Capitol; he also failed in his duties as Commander in Chief by not immediately taking action to protect Congress and the Capitol. This failure occurred despite multiple members of Congress, from both parties, including on national television, vehemently urging President Trump to take immediate action.
The next action that President Trump took—while the violence persisted and escalated—occurred more than three hours from the start of the siege. At this point, he released a scripted video that included a call for “peace” and “law and order,” and instructed his followers, “you have to go home now.”[2] But even in that video, President Trump continued to provoke violence, telling his supporters—who were at that very moment committing violence inside the Capitol and terrorizing Members of Congress—that the election was “stolen from us.”[3] He added that “[i]t was a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side.” He concluded by telling the violent insurrectionists: “We love you, you’re very special. … I know how you feel. But go home and go home in peace.”[4]
- ↑ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Twitter (Jan. 6, 2021, 3:13 PM).
- ↑ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Twitter (Jan. 6, 2021, 4:17 PM); President Trump Video Statement on Capitol Protestors, C-SPAN (Jan. 6, 2021).
- ↑ Id.
- ↑ Id.; see also Tony Keith, Twitter ‘Locks’ President Trump for 12 Hours Wednesday Evening, KKTV (Jan. 6, 2021).
