The investigative committee in the United States is examining whether ex-President Donald Trump has instigated a coup d’etat.
(Photo: IMAGO/UPI Photo)
Parliamentary committees of inquiry serve the self-purification of democracies. It is doubtful whether the US Congressional Committee on January 6th will live up to this claim – no matter how necessary the political and legal investigation of the storming of the Capitol may be.
The allegations in themselves are disturbing: Donald Trump is said to have instigated a coup d’etat as US President. Even more disturbing and threatening the very existence of American democracy in the long term is the refusal of the majority of conservatives to even perceive Trump’s blatant misconduct as such.
A large majority of Republicans still believe Trump’s tale of voter fraud. Or even worse: they are sticking to this abstruse thesis for which there is no evidence whatsoever for tactical motives.
The political discourse at the congressional hearings these days is correspondingly poisoned. Although the evidence against Trump is overwhelming, the investigative committee is unlikely to have a self-cleansing effect. The opposite is the case: it deepens the rift that runs through the United States.
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It is questionable whether Trump will ultimately be charged and whether the proceedings will prevent his candidacy in the 2024 elections.
Should Trump run in the presidential elections, this committee will hardly reduce his election chances, but rather increase them. Because if there is anyone who has the ability to take advantage of the divisions in society, it is Donald Trump.
In a twelve-page, polemical letter, to the applause of many party colleagues, he once again tried the horror story of the “stolen election”. Nothing has already tarnished the reputation of American democracy like trying to prevent an orderly and peaceful transfer of power on flimsy grounds. This attempt destroyed basic trust in the institutions, cemented the radicalization of the Republicans – and ultimately led to the storming of the Capitol that damaged the reputation of the world.
January 6 is a memorial for the entire West. Since then, even the last optimist must have realized that the struggle between liberal-democratic and authoritarian-nationalist forces is not only being fought against autocrats like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, but increasingly also within Western societies.
More: “This is war, baby!” – FBI arrests gubernatorial candidate for storming the Capitol