Cassidy Hutchinson’s January 6 testimony exposed the entire GOP as complicit in the coup attempt

“Ketchup dripped off the wall and a broken china plate lay on the floor.” Cassidy Hutchinson, the surprise witness for the January 6 Committee of the House of Representatives, painted the perfect metaphor for the GOP’s continued violent attacks on our nation’s increasingly fragile democracy.

In her scathing and chilling testimony Tuesday, Hutchinson, a former top adviser to Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, unleashed an arsenal of smoking guns. It not only implicated the Trump administration, but exposed the entire right-wing ecosystem as active and willing participants in a failed authoritarian’s desire to use force, intimidation, and illegality to secure power for his radicalized MAGA movement, which is now consuming the GOP and all has replaced “rational” Republicans.

According to Hutchinson, the Trump administration knew the protesters were heavily armed, but Trump cared more about his crowd. Indeed, she said, Trump has embraced and welcomed his own personal army. “I don’t give a damn that they have guns,” was Trump’s response, according to Hutchinson. “You are not here to hurt me. take the fuck [metal detectors] a way. let my people in From here they can march to the Capitol.” These are the same protesters that the Republican National Committee earlier this year described as “common citizens” engaging in “legitimate political discourse.” According to Hutchinson’s testimony, Trump and his associates, including Meadows, who comes across as a castrated, pathetic accomplice at worst, or a willful conspirator at best, were told early on that some attached javelins to flagpoles and others carried AR-15s. the murder weapon of choice for mass shooters. They did more than just march. The violent insurgents eventually took over the US Capitol, resulting in the deaths of five people, including a police officer, and terrorized the Capitol Police and our elected officials.

Violence was the recurring character in Hutchinson’s fascinating testimony. According to her, Trump again threw his own Vice President Mike Pence under the bus, thinking he “deserved” the “hang him” chants. Trump left Pence to potentially be slaughtered by his rabid cult, who would punish Pence for doing his duty and certifying a fair and free election. Trump is said to have even attacked Bobby Engel, the head of his Secret Service detail, and jumped on the steering wheel after Engel refused to drive him to the US Capitol. Trump apparently lacked “the stamina” to march with the violent mob he had incited, but he was fine with being chauffeured to the riot. According to Hutchinson, after being informed by his attorney general that there was no evidence of voter fraud, Trump behaved like an unruly, spoiled child by throwing a plate of food against the wall that belonged to Hutchinson, who was aged 25 was clearly the most mature adult in the room.

Hutchinson’s testimony indicts Trump’s associates who appeared to know they were all involved in illegal activities but nonetheless persisted in placating the whims of a confused vulgar. Meadows, in particular, appears to be most at risk following the hearing. “Things could get really, really bad on January 6,” Hutchinson said he warned her about, but all the evidence shows he went along like a dutiful soldier, following orders, and thankfully even keeping a record of his lyrics including correspondence with Ginni Thomas, another true believer.

“Please make sure we don’t go to the Capitol, Cass,” White House Attorney Pat Cipollone urged Hutchinson, according to her statement. “We will be charged with every crime imaginable.” No wonder Meadows and Rudy Giuliani reportedly asked for a blanket pardon, joining a growing list of Trump acolytes.

Those crimes now include disability, seditious conspiracy, assault, and fraud (Trump is said to have misled MAGA into giving him $250 million to fight voter fraud, which he never did), according to my record. The hearing ended with threatening messages the Trump administration allegedly sent to witnesses to encourage loyalty and promise rewards that read as if they were getting out of a bad situation godfather Rip off. We can add witness tampering as another potential crime.

But perhaps the greatest crime is the GOP’s cowardice and utter lack of patriotism. House minority leader Kevin McCarthy and Fox News anchors Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity, according to their text messages and alleged statements, knew the coup was dangerous and ruthless, but they have only treated the radicalized MAGA cult with more fear and Promoted, normalized and strengthened disinformation, and lies. Rather than stand up to Trump and the Big Lie, a majority of Republicans who narrowly escaped their lives on Jan. 6 voted against confirming the election that day. Now a majority of GOP voters believe the big lie, and more than 100 Republicans who have won their primary since May also support it.

Locally, the GOP has committed itself to “turf strategy,” using an army of right-wing activists to disrupt losing elections across the country.

They are also counting on a radicalized and unleashed Supreme Court to help them quash votes and dilute black Americans’ suffrage, as shown by Tuesday’s decision to reinstate Louisiana’s congressional district map, which was originally struck down over racial prejudice . They rely on Republican-controlled state legislatures to pull off John Eastman’s “bullshit” legal strategy and fraud allegations to reject voters and replace them with their own fake list.

If all these anti-democratic efforts fail, I fear the grassroots will rationalize the use of force to achieve their goals. A November PRRI poll found that a third of Republicans believe violence may be necessary “to save the country.” One of the most chilling moments of this hearing was a video of General Michael Flynn pleading the Fifth when asked under oath if he believed the January 6 violence was justified. He said that after pondering the question with his attorney for over a minute. He did not want to say whether he believes in a peaceful transfer of power. A hero of MAGA, Flynn is more representative of the GOP’s present and future than Senate Minority Leaders Mitch McConnell and McCarthy, whose leadership will happily rally around and vote for Trump when he runs for office in 2024.

But even if Trump is ousted and replaced by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the threat to our democracy and our rights remains. Trumpism is here to stay and it has completely infected the GOP. Just look at the GOP of the House of Representatives. Instead of reacting with outrage and shock to Hutchinson’s appalling testimony, the House Judiciary GOP Twitter account tweeted mockery and snout instead. Apparently, a hearing about a violent insurrection against our democracy is a great opportunity to write shit and own the liberties.

If the GOP continues on its radicalized and armed path, our democracy will lie in shambles next to the broken china plate and blood will drip down the walls next to the ketchup.