Brunswick Beacon, 01.05.23
That’s how George Washington described Benedict Arnold’s betrayal. Arnold was America’s greatest traitor, until Donald Trump incited an insurrection two years ago tomorrow. The testimony of those closest to Trump proves he attempted to use violence to overthrow an election he knew he lost.
Cassidy Hutchinson was assistant to Mark Meadows, Trump’s Chief of Staff. She testified that Trump told Meadows: “I don’t want people to know we lost, Mark. This is embarrassing.”
Hope Hicks was among Trump’s most loyal aides. She told Trump he lost and warned that his unfounded claims of election fraud would tarnish his legacy. He replied: “The only thing that matters is winning.” After Trump called for the Jan. 6 protest to “be wild,” Hicks told White House attorney Eric Herschmann Trump should put out a statement encouraging protesters to be “non-violent.” Herschmann said he told Trump, but Trump “refused."
Hutchinson heard Trump being told his supporters had weapons at the rally. Trump yelled at the Secret Service to remove the magnetometers: “I don’t f---ing care that they have weapons. They’re not here to hurt me.”
Trump then incited the mob, saying “fraud breaks up everything, doesn't it? When you catch somebody in a fraud, you're allowed to go by very different rules.” When rioters breached the Capitol, Trump tweeted “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done.” Trump did not order or even contact any national security officials to repel the attackers. When Kevin McCarthy begged Trump to stop them Trump said: “Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are.”
Washington said: “The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.” Trump called for “termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” betraying his solemn oath of office to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.”
Move over, Benedict Arnold.
Eric Terashima
Leland