Who Will Be Responsible For The Next January 6?

By Michael Waldman\Brennan Center Photos: YouTube Screenshots\Wikimedia Commons This Saturday marks three years since an armed mob stormed the Capitol to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. We now know this was not just a crazed crowd egged on by a defeated candidate, but a part of an earnest if ham-fisted plot to overthrow American democracy. How has our country responded? Reform often follows scandal — but not always. When National Guard troops still were bivouacking under the dome, Mitch McConnell called Donald Trump “practically and morally responsible” for the insurrection. The bipartisan January 6 congressional committee did extraordinary work to expose the facts. But Trump’s grip over his party has only strengthened. He now describes January 6 as a “beautiful day” and calls the criminals who participated in the attack “hostages.” Republicans chose the legal architect of the election denier movement to be speaker of the House. So this upcoming election year requires us not only to ensure free and fair elections but to guarantee nothing like January 6 can happen again. That demands legal accountability, of course. Fitfully that has started to happen, with the former president finally facing federal and state charges. We must strengthen guardrails, too....