Many of us seem surprised or shocked at the invasion of the US Capitol Building in Washington DC last night by supporters of President Donald Trump. Even the security agencies looked like they were taken unawares. Frankly, the writing had been on the wall all along. Even on the invasion day, a day when history was being made in Georgia State where Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were winning the Senate run-off election to give the Democratic Party the majority and the Congress was meeting in Washington to certify the Electoral College votes as presented by the 50 States, Trump had called his people to gather at the White House where he addressed them and told them to march to The Capitol to express themselves on how they felt about the result of the November 3, 2020 presidential election which the president lost woefully to Joe Biden.
Wednesday, January 6, 2021 was scheduled to be the day America’s democracy was to be fully confirmed with the certification by the US Congress of the Electoral College votes for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the new President and Vice-President of the United States, bar their swearing in on 20th January. Instead, January 6 2021 will become etched in history as ‘The Day the Capitol Fell’. I have watched a movie on the take-over of the White House by terrorists. ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ is a 2013 American action thriller which depicts a North Korean-led guerrilla assault on the White House and efforts to rescue the U.S. President. I don’t think movie producers in Hollywood and elsewhere ever thought that the Congress or Capitol Building would fall – and to local terrorists! Yesterday’s insurrection and attack on the Capitol Building was as treasonable or seditious as any other kind of attack; and Donald Trump did not call back his thousands of attack dogs.
At the end of the attack, 4 protesters had paid the supreme sacrifice for supporting a bigot and egocentric president who will be remembered for the death of democracy and the democratic process, not only in the United States, but the entire free world. No more can an American raise his head and point fingers at the so-called 3rd World as the home of dictators. Trump has outdone all known and unknown dictators and leaders of Banana Republics as ‘The Father of All Dictators’. The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol Building, is the meeting place of the United States Congress and the seat of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. It is located on Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C, with its formal address as First St. SE, Washington, DC 20004, United States. Construction of the Capitol Building started in September 1793.
It has housed the meeting chambers of the House of Representatives and the Senate for two centuries. The Capitol has stood as a monument to the American people and their government. However, the Capitol’s testimonial to American Democracy died yesterday with the attack instigated by Donald Trump and his lackeys, including his son, Donald Jr; but kudos to those who continued to work to finish the counting process opposed by about 100 Republican hypocrites led by former presidential candidate Ted Cruz. Joe Biden came out as winner, expectedly. Vice-President Mike Pence came out good in the end, although he could have taken a stand much earlier and told Trump to his face that he was on the wrong path. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also answered the democratic protector call late, but his stand at the start of yesterday’s hearing that Trump is wrong, deserves a bit of commendation.
I have friends who say they will no longer watch or believe American movies showing the fast and sharp response of the security agencies to anti-government protests and attacks of government buildings. They are asking – where was the FBI, SWAT, Secret Service, FBI, Police department, NCIS, Five-O, etc? The few Congress guards were overwhelmed in no time when protesters descended on the Capitol Building, which was hosting at that time the Number 2 and 3 citizens of the US, who were attending the all-important certification hearing, along with hundreds of legislators and employees.
The Republican Party has showed how Lilly-livered it is when it could not whip Trump in line as he continued making his frivolous accusations of election fraud which the courts, including his appointed Supreme Court judges, failed to buy. The party kept egging him on and all the anarchy of yesterday could have been avoided if Republicans took the right stand. As President, Donald Trump is safe from prosecution until 20th January. There is even no time to consider an impeachment proceeding against him. But after then, there will be all to pay for himself and his followers, at both Federal, State and local levels. He already has several tax matters pending, but yesterday’s terror attack on the Capitol Building should be something he will not fail to answer to. It shouldn’t take too long for Nemesis to catch up with him on all the scores. No doubt, it will take a long time to build the confidence in the democratic process which was destroyed yesterday. The whole world is watching and Joe Biden sure has a lot more work to do when he comes on board, apart from what he has prepared for on COVID-19, the economy, racial tension and the dismantling of Trumpism.
• Epa Ogie Eboigbe, veteran journalist, broadcaster and public affairs specialist writes on, and analyses current and historical issues with a ‘wise pen’.
