Why revived horrors of January 6 may not impact the election
Donald Trump’s attempt to unravel American democracy to stay in power four years ago is suddenly back at the epicenter of another election — weeks before the ex-president could pull off a stunning White House comeback.
Special counsel Jack Smith and former Rep. Liz Cheney have thrust the issue of the GOP nominee’s false 2020 fraud claims into the endgame of Trump’s neck-and-neck showdown with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, while reviving memories of a day that will stain American history.
Appearing with Harris in Wisconsin on Thursday, Cheney presented herself as part of a bipartisan movement to block Trump from the White House. But four years on, the mob assault by Trump supporters on the US Capitol, the ex-president’s attempt to subvert a free and fair vote, and his incessant efforts to fracture trust in the US democratic system may not impede his return to power.
This is a reality that reflects both the divided state of the nation and the GOP’s willingness to prioritize power. But most of all, it’s a testimony to the often-malevolent magnetism that has made Trump a historic and enduring political figure.
Cheney, a hardline conservative, appeared with the vice president in the critical battleground to urge independents and Trump-wary Republicans to vote for the Democrat despite their sharp differences on policy.
“The most conservative of conservative values is fidelity to our Constitution,” Cheney said in Ripon, Wisconsin. “As we meet here today, our republic faces a threat unlike any we have faced before.” She added: “In this election, putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration – it is our duty.”
“What January 6 shows us is that there is not an ounce, not an ounce of compassion in Donald Trump. He is petty, he is vindictive, and he is cruel, and Donald Trump is not fit to lead this good and great nation.”
It was a remarkable scene, which was only made possible by the political earthquake unleashed by Trump’s conduct four years ago. A sign of how much things have changed in American politics: Cheney’s father, former vice president Dick Cheney — who was reviled by Democrats, especially over the Iraq War — has also endorsed Harris. His daughter declared: “I have never voted for a Democrat, but this year I am proudly casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.”
The former Wyoming congresswoman lost her leadership position in the House GOP and eventually her seat in a landslide to a primary challenger, after standing up to Trump’s attempt to defy the will of voters in 2020. And while she was still in the House, she helped lead a bipartisan special committee that recommended criminal charges for the twice-impeached ex-president over the January 6, 2021, riot. In Wisconsin, a state that could be decided by narrow margins next month, Cheney could have a big impact if she’s able to move even a few hundred votes.
Next week, Cheney and former Trump White House aides Alyssa Farah Griffin, Cassidy Hutchinson and Sarah Matthews will make the case against Trump in a fireside chat in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, CNN has exclusively learned.
Harris on Thursday praised Cheney’s courage — and vowed, “Anyone who has called for, I quote, the termination of the Constitution of the United States, as Donald Trump has, must never again stand, never again stand behind the seal of the president of the United States.”
Cheney’s appearance came after Smith was back in the spotlight Wednesday, with an unsealed court filing offering the most detailed view yet of his federal election interference case against Trump, who has thwarted attempts to bring him to trial before the election.
The special counsel alleged that Trump told family members, “It doesn’t matter if you won or lost the election. You still have to fight like hell.” The filing represents an attempt by Smith to save a case that was seriously damaged by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, which granted Trump and other ex-presidents wide immunity for acts in office.
