Milquetoast Garland

The DOJ is treating the January 6 coup as little more than a traffic infraction. If Merrick Garland can't figure out that it was an assault on our democracy, Biden should find someone who can.

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the Justice Department was happy to acknowledge, and talk about the details of, their investigation into who was behind the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

And in the days following the Oklahoma City bombing, the Justice Department was equally chatty about its ongoing investigation to hold accountable those who blew up a federal building, killing 168 people.

But when it comes to last year’s unprecedented attempt to violently overthrow the United States government in a coup, Attorney General Merrick Garland hasn’t said a peep.

Now, sure, the DOJ is prosecuting the on-the-ground redshirts for a variety of misdemeanors and felonies, including assault, trying to obstruct Congress, and use of a lethal weapon. And that’s great. But it feels a bit like responding to Oklahoma City by charging Timothy McVeigh with a speeding ticket. And it’s worse than that. With both 9/11 and Oklahoma City, DOJ and the FBI didn’t choose to focus exclusively on the small players. They went after the the terrorists themselves, and those who helped them, like Osama bin Laden. But who’s going after the masterminds of January 6th?

And there’s the rub. By treating January 6 as little more than a bunch of disorganized rowdy tourists — rather than announcing an investigation into who, if anyone, masterminded the coordinated attack — Merrick Garland reinforces the worst lies of that day. After all, if the GOP base is right, and the Insurrection was truly just a bunch of Democrats secretly aided by the FBI, then it’s no surprise that Joe Biden’s Democratic attorney general wouldn’t want to investigate who sent them. Conspiracy becomes truth through inaction.

The assault on the Capitol was one of the closing gambits of a months-long effort by Donald Trump and his henchmen in Congress, the Administration, and beyond, to subvert the Constitution and steal the presidency. That is the real crime. The attempted coup began long before January 6, and the conspiracy continues to this day. When Merrick Garland goes on TV tomorrow (Wednesday) to talk about the anniversary, he should announce an investigation into the larger conspiracy to subvert our democracy, and let the chits fall where they may.

I’m not holding my breath.

JOHN