Any kind of victory over Trump is a cause for celebration, even if the victory is merely symbolic, moral or even a pyrrhic one, providing the losses are not too devastating. Our headline, and probably the newspapers and newscasts of the world, reports that the Jan. 6 House committee has voted to bring criminal charges against the former president.
Expected, too, is Trump’s dismissing the findings in the same way he railed against the release of Brittney Griner.
Now we, along with the rest of the nation, wait to see what happens next. And next belongs to the DOJ and Attorney General Merrick Garland because the House’s panel is not empowered to prosecute and possibly convict Trump.
While we agree with the panel and the outcome, why did it take so long to arrive at a result that most Americans saw as unquestionable? Well, that’s the way our government operates and we may not be as exuberant about the steps taken by the DOJ. But we withhold that judgment and hope this affair moves along expeditiously.
It is our understanding that the DOJ is doing its own investigation of the insurrection, and will not base any conclusion on the referrals made by the House panel. Evidence and not the panel’s recommendations will, according to most legal experts, be a deciding factor if an indictment will be rendered.
Perhaps the most we can expect out of all of this—and it’s not that long ago that Trump escaped two impeachments—is another stain on Trump’s legacy, one that is already soiled beyond redemption.
In the long run, maybe the most we can hope for, is that the dictionary will add another meaning for the word trump, and one far less kindly than in game of cards or one that refers to being helpful or admirable. Override is one synonym for trump in the thesaurus, and that sounds just about right for a man who refuses to accept reality.
