Donald Trump must be held accountable for his criminally dangerous and irresponsible acts

Most Americans – even some of his supporters – have long understood that former President Donald Trump is an incurable liar, braggart, and bully.    

His ignominious status as the only president in U.S. history to be twice impeached only serves to emphasize the malfeasance and corruption that were the hallmarks of his administration.

All that said, this week’s revelations from the U.S. House Committee investigating the events of January 6 make clear that there was an even deeper layer of lawlessness, and indeed violence, that infected Trump’s presidency.

As noted in States Newsroom reporter Jacob Fischler’s remarkable and detailed report, the sworn testimony of a top aide to Trump’s former chief of staff — North Carolina’s own Mark Meadows — made clear that, among other things, Trump became completely unhinged on the day of the insurrection. According to Cassidy Hutchinson’s riveting and compelling testimony, Trump even went so far as to:

• urge the admission of armed attendees to his infamous pre-insurrection speech,
• defend demonstrators calling for the assassination of Vice President Mike Pence, and
• physically assault a Secret Service agent in a bizarre attempt to commandeer the presidential limousine.

Repeatedly, Hutchinson’s sworn testimony made clear that, if he wasn’t already, Donald Trump became a raving and dangerous maniac on January 6, 2021 and played a key role in instigating and sustaining a deadly assault on democratic government that was one of the worst events in American history.

The bottom line: The fact that this deeply disturbed man was once in a position to be considered the leader of the free world remains a dark and indelible stain on the nation that elected him. And if there is even a shred of justice left in our battered old nation, he will be held to account and kept permanently as far away as possible from public office, or any public duty or responsibility of any kind.